Additional staff and extra funding are being deployed at one of
the most troubled prisons in the country following a damning
inspection report which highlighted significant concerns.
His Majesty's Inspectorate of Prisons (HMIP) issued an Urgent
Notification in May after finding that HMP Wandsworth had
alarmingly high rates of self-harm, dangerous levels of violence
and nearly 50 per cent of prisoners taking drugs.
As the inspectorate recognised, the level of chaos at HMP
Wandsworth was typical of a prison system crippled by the
overcrowding crisis with over 80 per cent of offenders at the
jail sharing cells designed to hold one person.
The report also revealed how crumbling infrastructure, inadequate
security measures and consistent staffing pressures had
contributed to the prison's unacceptable rating.
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.
Lord Chancellor and 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.”
Other measures to bolster prison security and safety at HMP
Wandsworth include:
- The deployment of specialist
security and drug staff and introduction of new leadership
- Regular beefed-up drug searches
from specialist drug detection teams
- Advanced violent reduction training
sessions available to prison staff
- Improved access to rehabilitative
services, such as education and employment workshops for
prisoners.
The inspection of HMP Wandsworth was the sixth since May 2022
that resulted in an Urgent Notification – the worst possible
result under HMIP's current inspection framework – and is why the
Lord Chancellor has today published an urgent action plan to
address the prison's failings.
The Lord Chancellor took immediate action in her first week to
avoid a breakdown of law and order due to the overcrowding crisis
in prisons that risked a breakdown of law and order with police
unable to make arrests.
This includes being able to stop the End of Custody Supervised
Licence Scheme and giving probation staff more time to plan for
an offender's release by temporarily reducing the release point
of some standard determinate sentences from 50 to 40 per cent
with important safeguards and exemptions to keep the public
safe.
Sentences for serious violent offences of four years or more, as
well as sex offences, will be automatically excluded, and, in an
important distinction from the End of Custody Supervised Licence
scheme, the early release of offenders in prison for
domestic-abuse connected crimes will also be excluded.
The Urgent Notification process was introduced in 2017 to ensure
immediate, urgent action was taken when necessary to address
serious concerns identified by inspectors.
