COMMENDEE 2023-24: Originally nominated by a prisoner, James receives a Commendation for the courage, expertise, and commitment he demonstrates daily in his role as a Supervising Officer on the Close Supervision Centre at HMP Manchester, managing and caring for amongst the most challenging men in the system.

James’s nomination

Initial Recommendation

James was initially recommended by: OM (an inmate at HMP Manchester).

I am submitting this because of the outstanding support I have received from Senior Officer James Chapman at HMP Manchester. I arrived at HMP Manchester just over a year ago, having spent the previous 18 months in segregation units at HMP Woodhill, HMP Lowdham Grange and HMP Swaleside. At all these prisons I remained fiercely determined not to come off segregation conditions, and not to adhere to any instructions given to me to comply with the prison regimes and locations on offer. I did this because I felt that I was dealt with injustice when I was recategorised from Cat C to Cat B, and this led me to lose faith in the system and all prison staff.

It is fair to say that when I arrived at HMP Manchester I was as angry and frustrated with the system as ever, and had absolutely no intention of complying with instructions and was sternly resolute that I would never locate on a residential unit here. That was until I met SO James Chapman.

It is really hard for me to put into words the impact that Mr Chapman has had on my life, in fact I get quite emotional just thinking about it. Mr Chapman took the time to speak to me, to listen to me, and to get to know me and understand why I had lost all faith in staff and the system. Bit by bit he reassured me, and through persistent encouragement and always doing what he said he would do, I began to trust him and believe that what he was trying to do was actually for the best.

Despite building a trusting relationships with SO Chapman, I was still very reluctant to move onto a residential unit as I still had no trust in other staff. So SO Chapman introduced me to a couple of staff that worked on the wing he was proposing, he told me I could trust these particular officers, and they in turn would support and help me with any issues if I moved out of segregation. SO Chapman also promised to continue to visit me on the new unit and check that everything was progressing as planned. I moved to C Wing, which was a huge leap of faith for me and something I had not thought possible just weeks previously. SO Chapman ensured I got a job and he kept to his word and made regular efforts to check in with me.

Everything SO Chapman promised, was delivered. The staff he introduced me to on the wings were great, and assisted my transition from long-term segregation (not all staff were great, so having staff I could trust was amazing).

I appreciate that this sounds like the sort of work that all SO’s should be doing, but I can assure you that I have been resolutely difficult for a long period, and despite efforts in several other prisons by many other staff, I have never felt able to rebuild any trust. I am not even sure how he did it, but this man is special – he managed to reassure me and challenge me, he has gone out of his way, above and beyond for a man who was not asking for any help. I am now an enhanced prisoner, living on the Super Enhanced unit and doing really well! None of this would have been possible without SO Chapman and I want him to be recognised for being truly brilliant!

Testimonials (from HMP Manchester)

James’s nomination included the following testimonials:

“I have had the pleasure of working with and managing Mr Chapman within my professional and personal capacity, as the head of function of the segregation unit and CSC. In my observations and experience of James I have always found Mr Chapman to be an extremely professional, empathic, and highly motivated individual.

Mr Chapman’s daily contributions within the support care, and management of men located on the segregation unit and CSC has identified James as a highly respected Supervising Officer, who acts as a role model to his peers and a trusted compassionate person to men who live at HMP Manchester.

James’s approach to his work demonstrates care and direction to men in our care, whom, due to his interactions has made a positive impact to the person’s actions and future life goals. The commitment, dedication, and sheer drive emulated by James continuously demonstrates qualities for other staff to aspire to and shows the support and development of men in our care.

Mr Chapman is a valued part of the MDT within HMP Manchester’s CSC and Segregation group. He works closely with multiple agencies and is core advocate for the clinical and operational model within CSC. His person-centred approach both with colleagues and prisoners enables him to be an excellent role model.

A prime example of Mr Chapman’s positive work and demonstration of rehabilitative custodial qualities was during the support management of a “Young Adult” who lives at HMP Manchester. The young adult who James was supporting has a long history of conducting acts of extreme violence, which resulted in this person being referred for management within the Close Supervision Centre.

During the management of this person Mr Chapman was required to implement force to address a serious incident being conducted by this person. Following this incident, the young adult demonstrated anger and passive aggression towards Mr Chapman. Mr Chapman continued to interact with this individual on a daily basis to try and breakdown communication barriers, but the young adult initially refused to interact with Mr Chapman. There was also intelligence that this person was planning to conduct an act of extreme violence towards Mr Chapman, in retribution of James’s previous use of force.

This intelligence and threat of extreme violence did not dismay Mr Chapman on his continuation in trying to motivate the young adult and to also rebuild a level of positive communication with this person. Within these interactions Mr Chapman explained and justified his requirement to implement the use of force and also challenged the person to address his anger via communication rather than violence.

Through his daily interactions Mr Chapman rebuilt positive communication with this person and following a period of motivational challenging conversations Mr Chapman has assisted in developing this person’s risk to enable him to now be located on general location and working/developing plans for his future release.

This example is just one of numerous examples which I could provide in relation to the excellent supportive professional work in which Mr Chapman conducts with men in our care who have challenging behaviours or require further support. Mr Chapman is an excellent member of HMP Manchester’s team and a shining example to his peers and the men who he provides positive care and support for on a daily basis.”
Phil Robinson, Head of Function

“One of my roles is to scan all of the case notes on NOMIS from across the estate to monitor how the prisoners are doing. I can’t thank SO Chapman enough for his in-depth and informative entries, particularly for the most complex of people. His notes are not only supportive of the prisoner but also to the organisation as a whole. He always describes not only the issue, but also the steps taken to try and remedy them. In one very high profile case, his interaction with an individual and balanced assessment will provide substantial evidence.”
Custodial Manager Dave Wood, Closed Supervision Centre Central Management Group, Long Term and High Security

Sign off

The nomination was signed off by the Governor, Rob Knight.

It’s heart-warming to read this nomination, especially as it comes from a prisoner who has previously been deep in custody. Segregation units are at the extreme end of difficult and often hold the most risky and most vulnerable prisoners. It’s only when all other options have been exhausted that men are held in this way, it’s acknowledged that damaged people can be damaging to others and it takes a special person to make such a difference as OM describes to break this cycle. I’m very proud of James and support this nomination.