HM Prison Forest Bank

Forest Bank Prison is a Category B men's private prison, in the Agecroft area of Pendlebury in Salford, England. The prison is currently operated by Sodexo Justice Services.

Forest Bank Prison was constructed on the site of the former Agecroft Power Station. The 25-year design, construct, manage and finance contract was won by Kalyx (formerly UKDS) in 1997 and it opened in January 2000.

In 2011, three former members of staff successfully sued Kalyx for unfair dismissal, and their treatment by the serving deputy director of the prison. Also in 2011, Kalyx changed their name for the second time, becoming known as Sodexo Justice Services.

In November 2002, A report from His Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons praised the prison for its staff-prisoner relations, management structure, increased staffing levels and levels of association between inmates. However, the report also noted that many of the staff lacked experience and that there was insufficient purposeful activity, with fewer than half the prisoners engaged in meaningful work or education.

In December 2005, the prison was severely criticised by the Chief Inspector of Prisons for high levels of violence and drug taking amongst inmates. The inspection found that, in one month alone, more than 2 kg of cannabis, 60 g of heroin, and 4.6 g of cocaine were found, and 40 per cent of compulsory drug tests were positive. The report also found a significant deterioration in safety for staff and inmates with routine intimidation of staff, prisoner assaults on other prisoners running at 25 a month, and staff turnover of 25 per cent a year. There had also been 2,500 prisoner discipline hearings in six months.

In November 2010, HM Chief Inspector of Prisons, Nick Hardwick noted in his report on the prison that some young inmates had been tied up in their bed linen and beaten by other prisoners. The report also acknowledged that in other matters there were many signs of improvement.

A 2013 report from the Chief Inspector of Prisons noted that there was a need for more work, education and training to be made available, with "over 40% of prisoners ... locked up doing nothing during the working day". Since inspection in 2010, there had been "some deterioration in the quality of activity, and learning and skills provided".

In January 2023, the independent review of progress (IRP) report on Forest Bank Prison, conducted by HM Chief Inspector of Prisons, provides a comprehensive evaluation of the prison’s progress in addressing previous recommendations. The report highlights significant issues such as safety, the ingress of drugs, and the effectiveness of purposeful activity and rehabilitation programmes. Although there have been improvements in some areas, such as the reduction of drug availability and enhancements in living conditions, challenges persist. For instance, the prison continues to struggle with high levels of violence and insufficient educational and vocational training for prisoners. Leadership changes have brought a renewed focus on improving safety and living conditions, yet the prison still faces considerable obstacles in fully realising its rehabilitative goals.