Widespread drug use, violence, and a failing regime continue to destabilise HMP Manchester, according to a report from His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons (HMIP). HM Chief Inspector of Prisons, Charlie Taylor, stated that the high-security establishment has made little progress since his last visit, leaving it in a state of ‘chronic instability’.
The inspection revealed a catastrophic drug crisis, with the rate of positive mandatory drug test results standing at 38 per cent—one of the highest recorded in prisons across England and Wales—while half of the prisoners surveyed stated that it remained easy to obtain illicit substances. The findings indicate that illegal substances continue to drive disorder and debt on the wings. The issue had previously been highlighted by Justice Gap reporting on the severe drug problems that recently led to the prison being placed in special measures.
The inspectorate found the prison ‘flooded’ with contraband delivered primarily via drones, an issue HMIP noted security improvements have failed to match. Criminal gangs have demonstrated significant ingenuity in circumventing security measures to reach the prison’s interior, maintaining a steady flow of illegal substances and mobile phones that fuel the prison’s volatile environment.
The report further reveals that ‘very little progress’ has been made in critical areas such as physical security and education since the 2024 intervention. It states that the failure to prevent drugs from entering via drones, together with rising violence against staff, continues to fuel an unsafe environment within the prison. The report adds that this instability is further deepened by the fact that 44% of prisoners are unemployed and spend the vast majority of the day locked in their cells. According to the findings, the severe mental health crisis caused by this forced inactivity and isolation has resulted in four self-inflicted deaths since the last inspection.
The report says that without a fundamental shift in the daily regime and a stable workforce, Manchester will continue to function as a ‘revolving door’ for crime rather than a place of rehabilitation. The inspectorate warned that unless urgent intervention is taken to address these long-standing criticisms, the state of instability will further undermine public confidence in the criminal justice system.
