Manchester prison: Drugs and violence 

The Howard League for Penal Reform has responded to HM Inspectorate of Prisons’ report on Manchester prison, published today (Tuesday 14 April).

Inspectors visited the prison in January 2026 and found the jail struggling with the ingress of drugs and serious violence. 

Manchester prison was last inspected in 2024, when conditions were found to be 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.

At this inspection, inspectors found high rates of serious assaults and increasing violence against staff. Half of people held in the prison said that it was easy to get hold of illicit substances and the rate of positive mandatory drug test results was 38%, one of the highest among prisons in England and Wales. 

Inspectors also noted restrictions on time out of cell and limited access to purposeful activity contributing to high rates of self-harm. There had been four self-inflicted deaths since the previous inspection. 

Andrea Coomber KC (Hon.), Chief Executive of the Howard League for Penal Reform, said: “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.

“Drugs are a destructive force in prisons. Security is vitally important, but the most effective way to reduce their supply is to reduce demand for them in the first place. When almost half of people held at Manchester prison are unemployed and spending more than 21 hours a day locked in their cells, is it any wonder that rates of drug use and violence are sky-high?” 

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 report for Manchester prison 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]