Britain's chief inspector of prisons has warned that HMP Manchester (a high-security jail in northern England, formerly known as Strangeways) remains in a "precarious state" after authorities failed to act on an emergency order issued in October 2024 to curb drug deliveries by drone. Despite the formal intervention — which demanded the Ministry of Justice address escalating drug use and violence within 28 days — inspectors found that broken windows and missing security grilles had still not been fixed, allowing organised crime gangs to continue smuggling large quantities of drugs into the 550-inmate facility. The findings, published Tuesday, have alarmed penal reform groups, who warn that rampant drug use, rising self-harm rates, four prisoner deaths since the last inspection, and staff shortages make meaningful rehabilitation impossible.