Manchester

Role and background

HMP Manchester is a high-security men's prison in Manchester city centre, formerly known as Strangeways.

Inside the prison and daily life

The Strangeways name was replaced in 1994. The establishment has nine wings across two blocks, containing single and shared cells. Sports halls, gyms and a multi-faith chaplaincy support daily activity and personal needs.

Education includes English, maths and English for speakers of other languages, alongside personal development. Vocational training covers cleaning, baking, catering, land-based activity and waste management.

Multi-faith support and sports activity form part of daily provision alongside work and study. Those services meet different needs and should be considered separately from the prison's formal behaviour programmes.

Work is available in electrical repairs, textiles, printing, laundry and other prison services. Accredited programmes address offending behaviour. Manchester's familiar historic name can dominate public perceptions, but its current function also involves managing everyday custody, providing support and offering routes into learning and work within a high-security environment.

Visiting and family contact

Families should check visiting times, booking procedures, identification rules and support for children or disabled visitors before travelling. Those details can change. Understanding the establishment's role is useful, but it does not replace confirming the arrangements for a particular visit.

Practical advice before you make arrangements

Use Manchester's official page below for its current booking route, required identification, permitted items and travel instructions.

Confirm that the person is still at Manchester and that your visit has been accepted before making travel arrangements. Ask the prison in advance about disability access, medication or children's needs.