HMP Manchester has become the latest prison to be put special measures after an inspection found ‘squalid’, rodent-infested cells, wings awash with illegal drugs, and some of the highest rates of violence in the prison estate.
The inspection report describes ‘catastrophic levels of illicit drugs’ entering the prison through organised crime links. It found drugs were getting into the prison due to damaged netting over the exercise yard, smashed windows, and even prisoners burning holes in their cell windows with kettle heating elements to allow drone access. Inspectors said repairs to fix these issues were taking too long, despite escalating violence and deaths linked to drug abuse.
In a letter to the secretary of state outlining the reasons for the prison receiving an ‘urgent notification’ the Chief Inspector of Prisons, Charlie Taylor, said: ‘Organised criminal activity, serious violence, widespread drug use and staff who lacked confidence and capability had led to an unstable environment.’ He added that safety in the prison had ‘collapsed’, and it was not delivering its core function as a training prison, to provide education, training and work. The inspection found only 19% of prisoners regularly spent time outside their cells.
