Overview

• An Independent Monitoring Board report covering December 2023 to November 2024 praised calm wings and a stable population of over 800 inmates at HMP Frankland.
• On April 12, Manchester Arena plotter Hashem Abedi attacked three officers with boiling oil and homemade weapons, triggering a snap review of staff protective equipment.
• Inspectors found widespread Spice use that exposed staff and prisoners to toxic fumes, necessitating hospital checks during the reporting year.
• Drone sightings over the prison rose sharply, enabling smuggling of phones, chargers and drugs despite legal-mail testing and visit regulations.
• The Ministry of Justice is deploying drug detection dogs to clamp down on illicit items and will publish a review on issuing stab vests to staff in June.