RISLEY Prison has come out well in an annual review.

An independent Board of Visitors provides a rolling picture of the prison through annual reports which highlight the ups and downs of the management and running of the prison.

The latest report, for December 1999 to November 2000, has been published which highlights areas of concern and progress.

One of the major concerns in the report is the quality of the dental service for prisoners, with existing provision falling well short of acceptable.

The report goes on to say that although the service is now being provided by Warrington Community Healthcare NHS Trust, it would take considerable time to address the substantial backlog.

Offences involving possession of unauthorised articles and administration of controlled drugs went through a marked increase in May and June and positive drug tests, involving cannabis and opiates, totalled 263.

But healthcare is said to be on its way to delivering quality services aimed at addressing the "true health problems of the prisoner population".

Education is performing well within the constraints of the budget and the environment, according to the report, and Physical Education (PE) was highlighted for the prison being among the top 15 PE establishments in the country.

Staff working on offending behaviour programmes were also praised for working "extremely hard" to reach their targets.

Stuart Kearney, chairman of the board, concluded: "The prison is moving in the right direction.

"The prison is undoubtedly benefiting from the continuity of sound leadership."