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HMP Wandsworth – violence and overcrowding still key issues

Published:

Inspectors returning to HMP Wandsworth, an inner-city male reception prison serving the London courts, found that progress on recommendations made in the last inspection was inconsistent. When they last visited in September 2021, inspectors had been concerned to find an overcrowded jail where prisoners felt unsafe. There was a lack of oversight of use of force, poor mental health support, and a severely limited regime.

Inspectors returned to the London prison in June 2022 for an independent review of progress (IRP) and followed up nine recommendations.

Wandsworth remained overcrowded, and living conditions were very poor. There were piles of litter in the grounds and on wings, and rubbish was often thrown from cell windows. The inpatient unit did not meet infection prevention and control standards, although half of the mental health unit cells were being refurbished.

Inspectors were pleased to see that provision for foreign nationals had improved significantly. At the last inspection, Home Office immigration staff had limited contact with individuals, and prisoners and detainees were spending far too long in prison with their immigration cases unresolved. Immigration officers were now operating full time at the prison, and two charities had been introduced and were well established, providing valuable support to foreign national prisoners.

Levels of violence had increased since the last inspection, although leaders had responded with several strategies to improve safety. Victims and perpetrators were supported through care, support and intervention plans (CSIPs) and some prisoners were positive about the help they had received, however use of CSIP was not yet fully embedded.

Governance of use of force had improved substantially since the last inspection. In 2021, inspectors had been concerned by high numbers of use of force and poor use of body-worn cameras, none of which was scrutinised by leaders. A system had now been put in place to make sure that force was necessary and proportionate, and incidents not meeting these criteria were investigated. The number of staff using body-worn cameras had improved, although the prison did not have enough cameras for every staff member on duty, which was disappointing.

Since the previous inspection, the governor had left the establishment and a substantive governor was due to start the week after this review of progress. The interim governor had made reasonable progress in improving oversight and long-term planning. However, the problem of the very high rates of non-effective staff was unchanged since the inspection. Without progress in this area, outcomes at Wandsworth will continue to struggle, making it a clear priority for the incoming governor.

Charlie Taylor, HM Chief Inspector of Prisons

Notes to editors

  1. Read the HMP Wandsworth independent review of progress, published on 29 July 2022.
  2. HM Inspectorate of Prisons is an independent inspectorate, inspecting places of detention to report on conditions and treatment and promote positive outcomes for those detained and the public.
  3. Built 170 years ago, Wandsworth is a large Victorian prison serving the courts of south west London.
  4. Independent Reviews of Progress (IRPs) began in April 2019. They were developed because Ministers wanted an independent assessment of how far prisons had implemented HM Inspectorate of Prisons’ recommendations following particularly concerning prison inspections. IRPs are not inspections and do not result in new judgements against our healthy prison tests. Rather they judge progress being made against the key recommendations made at the previous inspection. The visits are announced and happen eight to 12 months after the original inspection. They last two and a half days and involve a comparatively small team. Reports are published within 25 working days of the end of the visit. We conduct 15 to 20 IRPs each year. HM Chief Inspector of Prisons selects sites for IRPs based on previous healthy prison test assessments and a range of other factors.
  5. At this Wandsworth IRP we followed up twelve of the recommendations from our recent inspection and Ofsted followed up three themes. HM Inspectorate of Prisons judged that there was good progress in two recommendations, reasonable progress in two recommendations and insufficient progress in three recommendations, and no meaningful progress in two recommendations. Ofsted found significant progress in two themes and insufficient progress in one theme.
  6. At the time of this independent review of progress, the establishment held 1,400 prisoners.
  7. Inspectors identified one example of notable positive practice.
  8. This independent review of progress took place from 19–22 June 2022.
  9. Please contact media@hmiprisons.gov.uk if you would like more information.