LIFE within the confines of one of Warrington's most notorious addresses has changed out of all recognition over the past few years.

That's the view of Stuart Kearney, chairman of the Board of Visitors at Risley Prison, whose job it is to ensure fairness and humanity for inmates and staff behind bars at the Warrington Road jail.

Explained Mr Kearney: "When it was a remand prison there were one or two suicides and the cells were pretty miserable.

"Most of the old buildings are now gone and the cells are bigger, it is much more open."

An independent voice, the Board enables not only prisoners but prison officers to air grievances about the facility.

Mr Kearney said: "Boards of Visitors are the watchdogs for prisons. They are completely independent."

It is their responsibility, issued with their own set of keys, to look into every aspect of prison life.

Mr Kearney continued: "If a prisoner has a problem they can come to us and we can take it up.

"We have a good relationship with all the staff - we are not just there for the prisoners, we are there for the staff as well. We are there to look at the buildings, the administration, it is a role which covers the whole prison."

HMP Risley was officially opened in 1964 on the site of HMS Ariel, a shore base for the Royal Navy constructed in the 1930s.

The new jail - catering mainly for remand prisoners from Merseyside and Greater Manchester - made use of some of the original naval buildings but gradually down the decades fresh accommodation has overtaken the site.

The 1980s created a new climate for visitors at Risley. Male remand prisoners from the Manchester area were transferred to Strangeways Prison then male juvenile prisoners were moved to Hindley.

Finally after a series of disturbances in 1989 unconvicted men from Merseyside were relocated at Liverpool Prison, helping the jail to shake off its controversial "Grisly Risley" tag.

Added Mr Kearney: "It is a completely different prison now because the main part is really for long term convicted men who are interested in training. They can obtain NVQ qualification on various courses."

People from all walks of life become visitors but because of the time demands placed upon potential volunteers the majority are retired.

The Board is keen to recruit more visitors from across the age spectrum and from different ethnic backgrounds, according to Mr Kearney, himself a retired sales manager.

Asked what requirements prison visitors usually require, he replied: "What you have to have is good personal skills, be very easy to approach, have good communication skills and integrity - a board member cannot be bribed! You have got to be thoroughly honest and must be fair."

Visitors must not be concerned with what an inmate has been convicted of, only the circumstances of an individual complaint so the matter is dealt with impartially.

Female inmates are set to be moved out of the prison next summer to Styal Prison and their facilities will be replaced by a new drugs detoxification unit, offering a fresh challenge to the Board. The new development will be within the watchdog's remit, confirmed Mr Kearney.

As an institution, Boards of Visitors are celebrating their centenary, having been established by the Gladstone Committee in 1898. In recognition the Board has presented a commemorative plaque to the prison's governors.

Mr Kearney finished: "You can get a lot of satisfaction from being a visitor if you are really interested in prisons and in trying to do something about the problems in prisons."

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