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14 Jan 2025

Long Lartin and Manchester prisons: An overburdened system has become a threat to national security 

The Howard League for Penal Reform has responded to HM Inspectorate of Prisons’ reports on Long Lartin and Manchester prisons, published today (Tuesday 14 January).

Inspectors visited Manchester prison, in Greater Manchester, and Long Lartin prison, in Worcestershire, in September and October 2024 and found serious concerns with safety and security, with drones frequently bringing in drugs and weapons to both prisons. At Manchester, prisoners were burning holes in supposedly secure windows so they could continue to receive regular deliveries by drone.

Conditions at Manchester were so bad that inspectors invoked an urgent notification, giving the Secretary of State for Justice 28 days to respond with an action plan for improvement.

Violence and self-harm at both prisons had increased, partly driven by drugs and debt. There had been six self-inflicted deaths at Manchester since the last inspection in 2021, and a seventh took place after inspectors visited. Manchester is now one of the most violent prisons in the country.

Inspectors found grim conditions at both prisons, with widespread dirt, damp and litter. Manchester had a chronic rodent infestation, while at Long Lartin, a continued lack of in-cell toilets for many prisoners led them to use buckets in their cells and throw bags of excrement out of the windows.

Andrea Coomber KC (Hon.), Chief Executive of the Howard League for Penal Reform, said: “These appalling inspection reports are a warning that problems in prisons spill out into the towns and cities around them. A system that has been asked to do too much, with too little, for too long is now so compromised as to become a threat to national security.

“Drugs are a destructive force in prisons. Where there is drug abuse, there is also debt and violence. Previous governments have spent millions trying to tighten security, but in Long Lartin and Manchester we can see how far that goes.

“The best way to stop the supply of drugs into jails is to reduce the demand for them in the first place. This means ensuring that people are occupied with work, training, education and exercise, not stuck in filthy, rat-infested cells for hours on end.”

Notes to editors

  1. The Howard League for Penal Reform is the oldest penal reform charity in the world. It is a national charity working for less crime, safer communities and fewer people in prison.
  2. The inspection reports for Manchester and Long Lartin prisons will be available on the HM Inspectorate of Prisons website at: https://hmiprisons.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/our-reports/

 

Contact

Noor Khan
Press and Public Affairs Officer
Tel: +44 (0)20 7241 7873
Email: [email protected]

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