Why the horrific findings inside Strangeways 'have not come as a shock'

Strangeways is 'an old, decrepit, Victorian prison in a state of disrepair' that needs 'huge investment' - but there's no money to fix it, according to the Prison Governors' Association.

The association, which represents senior prison managers in England and Wales, today said they were 'not shocked' by the results of a damming report on HMP Manchester issued after an inspection, claiming essential maintenance work planned for Strangeways and other prisons has been 'paused' over budget constraints.

As reported in the Manchester Evening News, the report called the prison 'the most violent' in the UK and said standards had completely collapsed. Inspectors referenced a 'concerning decline' since the last inspection three years ago - and said organised crime gangs and the supply of drugs into Strangeways were 'clearly undermining every aspect of prison life'.

HM Chief Inspector of Prisons, Charlie Taylor, said 156 year-old HMP Manchester has the highest rate of serious assaults of any prison in the country, saying it was 'fundamentally not safe' for prisoners and staff. A 'chronic' rat infestation was found and despite the high levels of violence, the prison's CCTV system was said to be 'failing'.

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HM Inspectorate of Prisons assessed the prison between September 17 and October 3, three years after its last inspection. As a result, HMP Manchester is now the eighth prison to be issued with an 'Urgent Notification' since November 2022. It requires the Government to develop a response and action plan within 28 days.

A debrief from the inspection has been published, but the report won't be revealed in full until the new year. An 'Urgent Notification' is a step the Chief Inspector takes when he believes concerns cannot wait that long to be acted on.

The debrief report said prison leaders were committed but 'faced major strategic challenges from the supply of illicit items through drone infiltration and some staff corruption'. "Staff morale was low, particularly for officers," it said.

'The money required is simply not available'

In a statement today, the Prison Governors' Association (PGA) said it wasn't 'shocked' an Urgent Notification (UN) has been issued. "This is not because we believe that the governor and his team did not know about the concerns that would be raised, or that they had ignored the problems that needed to be resolved," it said.

"It is sadly because, as with many other prisons subject to a UN, HMP Manchester is an old, decrepit, Victorian prison in a state of disrepair; a prison which requires huge investment to repair and maintain it, and the money required to do this is simply not available. The budgetary position of HM Prison and Probation Service and Ministry of Justice Estates is shocking and with the recent collapse of a big facility provider ISG, essential maintenance work planned at Manchester and other prisons has been paused.

"Serious organised crime groups run sophisticated operations which are hard to combat, with the daily threat of drones becoming more prevalent along with other means of trafficking into our prisons."

Prisons minister Lord Timpson said an action plan to deliver urgent improvements would be published in the coming weeks.

He said: "Reports such as this have become far too common. They typify the shocking state of the prison system we have inherited. Every day our dedicated staff do vital work keeping the public safe. They deserve better than being faced with conditions such as these and the constant threat of violence.

"That is why this Government took immediate action to end the overcrowding crisis engulfing our jails. We will now continue the hard work to ensure prisons like HMP Manchester become places that create better citizens and not better criminals. The governor and his team continue to do a great job in very difficult circumstances and are already working to address the inspectors’ concerns."

The PGA said it had confidence in Strangeways' governor and his team, but they need 'massive investment to tackle the problems with organised crime groups, the threat of drones and, most importantly, to fix the failing infrastructure'.

"There is no simple solution to end the crisis in prisons; we are confident that, as seen during recent months, our members and those that they lead will continue to do their best, protecting the public by ensuring the government of the day that it can always rely on there being sufficient space within its prison system," the association added.

"It needs to be made clear, however, that without a significant and sustained commitment from Government and Parliament to improve conditions in prisons, we will see more and more Urgent Notifications issued. If the Government is serious about improving conditions in prisons, we demand that they back this up with substantial capital investment."