£100 million for HMP Wandsworth as report finds "shocking" level of chaos
Urgent action is being taken to dramatically improve standards at the south London prison
"Shocking" levels of chaos have been revealed at HMP Wandsworth, as £100 million is announced to help improve standards at the prison.
In May, an urgent notification was issued after inspections found nearly 50 per cent of prisoners were taking drugs and alarmingly high rates of self harm and violence at Wandsworth, with drug taking also now at unacceptable levels.
The funding will be redirected to the prison over the next five years, providing more staff, with the money used to repair, refurbish and increase safety in the building.
The report also found that cells were overcrowded, with 80 per cent of offenders were sharing cells designed to hold only one person.
The inspection, which took place from April 22 to May 2, found that the prison was "severely overcrowded" with 80% of men sharing cells designed to hold one person.
At the time of the inspection, the prison held 1,521 men, despite HMP Wandsworth having a baseline operational capacity of 979 men.
Around three quarters of men reported spending more than 22 hours a day in "appalling conditions" in their cells, the report noted.
Inspectors carrying out two random roll checks were unable to verify this because "record keeping was so poor", with staff unable to account for where prisoners on their wings were.
What does the Inspector say?
HM Chief Inspector of Prisons Charlie Taylor said: "The level of chaos we found at Wandsworth was deeply shocking.
"The prison population crisis has undoubtedly compounded the pressures on the jail, but the appalling conditions at Wandsworth did not appear overnight and are the result of sustained decline permitted to happen in plain view of leaders in the jail, HM Prison & Probation Service (HMPPS) and the MoJ whose own systems clearly identified the prison as struggling."
Mr Taylor added: "There was a degree of despondency amongst prisoners at Wandsworth that I have not come across in my time as Chief Inspector.
"Many well-meaning and hard-working leaders and staff persevered at Wandsworth, but they were often fighting against a tide of cross-cutting, intractable problems that require comprehensive, long-term solutions.
"For this troubled prison to begin to recover, Wandsworth needs permanent experienced leaders at all levels who are invested in the long-term future of the prison to improve security, safety and guide their less experienced colleagues."
Government response
In response, Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood has said that Wandsworth is a "reality of a prison system in crisis", with immediate action now being taken.
New measures to improve HMP Wandsworth include:
- The deployment of specialist security and drug staff
- Introduction of new leadership
- Regular "beefed-up" drug searches from specialist teams
- Advanced violence reduction training sessions available to prison staff
- Improved access to rehabilitative services
The full response from the Justice Secretary said:
"“This is the reality of a prison system in crisis. Cells are overcrowded, infrastructure is crumbling and our hard-working prison staff are at risk of violence and harm.
“Our staff deserve better and we are taking immediate action at HMP Wandsworth to do what is necessary to protect the public, lock up dangerous offenders and make prisons safe for the brave staff who work there.”