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

punishment for an offence of endangering health and safety by misuse of equipment in a
prison workshop. There are no longer any records of the circumstances of the offence
but it might be said that Sonny Lodge had only himself to blame.
17.6 However this incident, occurring only four days after closure of an F2052SH,
profoundly affected his subsequent experience at Manchester prison. He lost his prison
job, and spent a week on the wing for prisoners on basic regime, with
no tobacco
no money to buy anything
no association
no radio
no occupations in cell
no publications and
no possessions in cell,
even though the Prison Discipline Manual said that notebooks, drawing books, radios,
education and purchase of stamps and phone cards should not normally be withdrawn.
17.7 The offence may well have been serious but, in my view, a punishment imposing
this degree of deprivation borders on the inhumane, no matter how grave the offence or
how mentally robust the prisoner concerned. What would be the effect on anyone of
confinement for all but an hour’s exercise a day (weather permitting) with no means of
occupation? It is difficult to see that this can have any constructive penal purpose.
Moreover, Sonny Lodge was not mentally robust. Only four weeks before, he had
severely lacerated his arms and the F2052SH had been closed only four days earlier.
K wing
17.8 After the week on H wing, Sonny was moved, not back to E wing as had
originally been intended - with specific reference to the recent F2052SH (see paragraph
7.34 above) - but to K wing. There is no record in the history sheets as to why the
previous entry was disregarded. It was a fateful decision. After he left E wing, Sonny
Lodge spent his time at Manchester in locations with an impoverished regime, little
constructive occupation, and, at least on K wing, a poor relationship between staff and
prisoners. After the entry of 25 July, about moving back to E wing after the seven days’
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