Drugs and violence continue to destabilise HMP Manchester despite efforts
Urgent Notification measures struggle to improve prison conditions
Fifteen months after HMP Manchester was placed under urgent notification measures, inspectors have found the prison remains troubled by drugs and violence, posing threats to safety and stability.
Efforts from prison leaders have not addressed the issue of drones delivering illicit items, especially drugs, which contribute to serious violence against both prisoners and staff. Recent inspections reveal that half of the prisoners surveyed can easily access these substances.
Inspection findings
During the January 2026 inspection, serious assault rates were found to be very high, with increasing violence against staff members. Prisoners faced restricted time out of their cells, limited access to purposeful activity, exacerbating isolation and mental health issues, which have led to four self-inflicted deaths since the last inspection.
Employment rates within the prison were alarmingly low, leaving 44% of inmates with less than three hours of daily activity time, as recent cuts have hampered education provision and rehabilitation efforts.
Despite some commendable support for sentence planning by the offender management unit, Manchester prison struggles to fulfil its purpose as a training prison. Education allocation is slow, and classes are frequently cancelled.
Charlie Taylor, Chief Inspector of Prisons, commented:
“Leaders at Manchester had made a determined effort to start grappling with some of the issues identified in 2024... However, without more determined action from HMPPS to improve physical security, drugs will continue to undermine those efforts.”
Howard League response
Following the publication of the prison inspection report, Andrea Coomber KC (Hon.), Chief Executive of the Howard League for Penal Reform, expressed concern over the prison system:
“It is a sign of the intense pressure the prison system is under when a jail that was effectively put in special measures 15 months ago is still unable to protect people living and working there from harm.”
According to Coomber, high rates of unemployment and prolonged cell confinement contribute to increased drug use and violence, suggesting that reducing demand for drugs through improved prison conditions, such as employment and activity, is key.
The report calls for prioritising security improvement strategies and addressing staff recruitment issues to facilitate rehabilitative activities essential for prisoners' reintegration into society.
A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said:
“This is a prison operating under immense pressure after this Government inherited a prison system at the peak of its crisis.
“We took immediate action to bring the system back from the point of collapse and while we welcome inspectors recognising the strong leadership now in place at HMP Manchester, we are taking urgent action to stop drones, upgrade security and tackle the flow of drugs which fuels violence behind bars.”