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The government has announced £100m to improve HMP Wandsworth after a damning inspection report found high rates of self-harm, dangerous levels of violence and nearly 50 per cent of prisoners taking drugs.
The report by HM Inspectorate of Prisons (HMIP) revealed that crumbling infrastructure, inadequate security measures and consistent staffing pressures had contributed to the prison’s failings.
Justice secretary Shabana Mahmood warned that state of the prison shows the “reality of a prison system in crisis”.
The report comes just one month after the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) announced that thousands of prisoners on standard determinate sentences would serve 40 per cent of their sentence in jail, instead of 50 per cent, under new measures aimed at tackling overcrowding.
In addition to redirecting £100 million towards HMP Wandsworth from across the prison service over the next five years, the MoJ also announced extra measures to bolster the prison’s security and safety.
These include the deployment of specialist security and drug staff who will conduct regular drug searches.
Prison staff will be offered advanced violence reduction training sessions, while prisoners will be given improved access to rehabilitative services, such as education and employment workshops.
Ms Mahmood 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.”
A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: “The government is immediately addressing the inspectorate’s concerns by deploying extra specialist staff to help turn the jail around and redirecting £100m from across the Prison Service that will be spent over five years to deliver urgent improvements.
“This includes cell windows being repaired, shower refurbishments and investment in fire safety measures.”
The HMIP report into HMP Wandsworth found high levels of overcrowding, self-harm and seven suicides over the last 12 months.
It found increased rates of violence, including both serious assaults and uses of force. Almost 70 per cent of inmates said they felt unsafe.
Inspectors invoked an urgent notification, giving the justice secretary 28 days to respond with an action plan for improvement.
The report comes just less than a year after inmate Daniel Khalife allegedly escaped from Wandsworth.
The 22-year-old allegedly broke out of the prison in September after strapping himself to the underside of a food delivery lorry. He will face trial in October.
In July, a prison officer at Wandsworth pleaded guilty to misconduct after having sex with an inmate in a cell.
Linda De Sousa Abreu, 30, of Fulham, southwest London, was charged after a video of the activity was shared online.
Andrea Coomber KC, chief executive of the Howard League for Penal Reform, said the report highlights a “shocking failure of leadership”.
She said: “The prisons watchdog was established more than four decades ago, and it publishes findings from dozens of inspections every year. In all that time, it is hard to remember a report as scathing, emphatic, and utterly devastating as today’s appraisal of the chaos in Wandsworth.
“The root cause is the fact that Wandsworth is one of the most overcrowded jails in the country – with room for fewer than 1,000 men, while being asked to hold more than 1,500.
“But this report also lifts the lid on a shocking failure of leadership and culture. It underlines the need for a radical overhaul and work towards a more humane and effective response to crime.”
