HMP Manchester Urgent Notification

Inspection debriefing paper

‘My reasons for this Urgent Notification are:

Widespread drug use: The number of weapons and other illicit items found in recent months was amongst the highest of all prisons holding adult men and the proportion of prisoners testing positive for drug use was very high at 39% over the last 12 months.

Rising violence: In our survey, more than half of the prisoners said they had felt unsafe at some point while the prison’s own data indicated that it was amongst the most violent of all adult male prisons. The rate of serious assaults was the highest of all prisons holding adult men and it was continuing to increase.

Concern about self-harm and self-inflicted deaths: Since the last inspection, there had been six self-inflicted deaths and a further three deaths with suspected links to drug abuse. There had been a steep rise in the rate of self-harm and was now amongst the highest of all prisons holding adult men.

Competence and capability of staff: We witnessed a lack of order and control on some wings, with officers failing to challenge very poor, antisocial, or even criminal behaviour. Many officers were new to their role and struggled to manage prisoners correctly while also demonstrating appropriate care and compassion.

Living conditions were very poor: Outdoor areas around the prison were often heavily littered and many of the wings were filthy with evidence of chronic rodent infestation. Many cell windows were smashed.

The prison was not achieving its role as a training prison. In our checks, only 19% of prisoners had left their wing to attend purposeful activity. There were significant weaknesses in the provision of education, training and work. Attendance was low and too many places remained unfilled.

Charlie Taylor, HM Chief Inspector of Prisons

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The full list of reasons for which an urgent notification was issued can be read in the letter above.

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Action plan

Read the Secretary of State’s response and initial action plan.