Report of the Inquiry into the circumstances of the Death of Bernard ...

Chapter 17: TRANSFERS, WING AND CELL MOVES, AND THE WING BASED
DISCIPLINARY SYSTEM
Introduction
17.1 The inquiry examined:
the reasons that Sonny Lodge was frequently moved, the regimes he
experienced and whether these may have contributed to his vulnerability to
suicide and/or self-harm;
the impact of the wing-based disciplinary system on Sonny Lodge and whether
this may have contributed to his vulnerability to suicide and/or self-harm.
Consideration
17.2 After induction, Sonny Lodge was based in E, H, K and G wings during his period
at Manchester. After the alleged assault on G wing on 27 August he spent the night in
the segregation unit.
17.3 Dr Wright, the clinical adviser to the inquiry, suggested that cell moves might
have contributed to instability for Sonny Lodge. Referring to the theory that attachment
to a social setting and a place contributes to mental health and a sense of well-being, Dr
Wright said that removal from a setting that has become familiar can present a challenge
to psychological health.
17.4 SO Nuttall and the Governor of Manchester indicated that the number of moves
experienced by Sonny Lodge was not unusual for a short-term prisoner in a local prison
where the establishment is juggling high turnover of prisoners to and from the courts. In
their view, short-term prisoners do not become attached to their cells in the way longterm
prisoners do. That may well be so, as a matter of degree, but cell moves, especially
to share a space designed for one prisoner and with an unscreened toilet, with yet
another, usually unchosen, cellmate must be one of the unpleasant experiences of
prison. According to Sonny Lodge’s cellmate on G wing, he asked for Sonny to share his
cell because they were friends outside. If that is the case, the arrangement suggests a
kindness by a member of staff.
Moving from E wing
17.5 The inquiry has found no evidence that the moves were malicious. The move
from E wing resulted from an adjudication in which Sonny Lodge was given a severe
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