An investigation into a prisoner’s death at HMP Hindley, near Wigan, has raised concerns about safety checks. It also questions how easily drugs reached the jail.
Dylan Woodhead, 22, died on 8 January 2021. He had arrived at Hindley from HMP Forest Bank just 10 days earlier. It was his first time in prison, and he had been in custody for three months.
The Prisons and Probation Ombudsman, Adrian Usher, has now published his findings. He criticised Hindley because Mr Woodhead had managed to obtain illicit drugs with ‘apparent ease’. He also found that staff had not checked Mr Woodhead properly on the night before his death.
A post-mortem examination showed that Mr Woodhead had taken psychoactive substances before he died. Mr Usher said there was no finding that the drugs caused his death. However, he noted that such substances can damage mental health. He said Mr Woodhead obtained them even though Hindley had strict Covid-19 lockdown restrictions in place.
The night officer failed to carry out the evening roll check properly on 7 January 2021. The same officer missed the morning check on 8 January. As a result, nobody checked on Mr Woodhead. “I cannot say whether this might have affected the outcome for him,” Mr Usher said. He added that early intervention in another emergency could save a life.
The Ombudsman also said Forest Bank should have done more. Mr Woodhead had several risk factors, and staff there should have considered opening suicide and self-harm procedures when he arrived. Mr Usher noted, however, that Mr Woodhead sought little support from staff. He found no clear signs that Mr Woodhead intended to take his life, including in the days before his death.
Mr Woodhead had a history of self-harm and previous suicide attempts. The report also recorded problems with alcohol and substance misuse, as well as anxiety and depression. The evening before he died, he phoned his former partner and threatened to end his life.
Hindley updated its drug strategy in March 2021. Mr Usher said the prison must continue to put that strategy into effect to reduce both supply and demand. He made a series of recommendations.
At an inquest in January 2024, the jury recorded that Mr Woodhead took his own life.
“We have accepted and actioned all recommendations from the Prison and Probation Ombudsman,” a Prison Service spokesperson said. According to the spokesperson, prisons had expanded physical security against smuggling, including X-ray body scanners, airport-style Enhanced Gate Security and X-ray baggage scanners. The Prison Service has also made improvements to its healthcare processes in response to the report.
HMP & YOI Hindley is a men’s prison in the North West. At its last full inspection, in March 2024, inspectors rated purposeful activity as poor. They rated safety and respect not sufficiently good, and preparation for release reasonably good. HMP Forest Bank, a reception prison for men in the same region, had its last full inspection in March 2025.
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