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HMP Winchester: drugs and violence highlight systemic failings in a persistently underachieving prison

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The Chief Inspector of Prisons has called for more support and investment to halt the serious decline in safety and security at Winchester prison. During an inspection in October, Charlie Taylor found such concerning conditions at the jail that he issued an Urgent Notification for improvement to the Secretary of State.

Violence had increased since the last inspection. Serious assaults against staff were the highest, and serious assaults against prisoners the second highest, of all reception jails. Drug use, debt and prisoner frustration at the inability of staff to manage basic requests were some of the leading causes, but the lack of purposeful activity, with most prisoners spending just 2.5 hours a day unlocked, compounded these issues.

Self-harm was now among the highest in the prison estate, and prisoners were especially frustrated by an inability to use phones to contact their families. In the Inspectorate’s survey of prisoners, over a quarter said they currently felt unsafe and 57% said they had felt unsafe at some point in the jail.

A staggering 47% of prisoners who responded to the survey said it was easy to get illicit drugs, and 41% had tested positive in random drug testing, which had only recommenced in August.  Security was seriously compromised across the site: more than a third of CCTV cameras were broken and damage to the fabric of the building had resulted in one prisoner being able to remove his own cell door. Offensive graffiti, insufficient furniture and, in some cases, damp and mould that was so bad that inspectors questioned if some cells were actually for habitation, further added to a pervasive sense of neglect and dilapidation.

There was no denying the failings in leadership at this prison. Although a full complement of prison officers had been recruited, too many staff lacked competence and confidence. Not enough had been done by leaders to make sure that standards were enforced or that prisoners’ basic needs were met.

The poor outcomes at Winchester represent systemic failings under the oversight of HMPPS. If the prison is to provide decent living conditions, improve safety and security and operate effectively, it will require sustained support and investment.
Charlie Taylor, HM Chief Inspector of Prisons

Notes to editors

  1. This inspection of Winchester took place between 7 and 18 October 2024.
  2. HMP Winchester is a category B reception and resettlement prison with a separate category C unit. The establishment also holds young adults.
  3. This report, published on 21 January 2025, can be found on the HM Inspectorate of Prisons website at: https://hmiprisons.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/  
  4. Read the letter announcing the Urgent Notification at Winchester and the Winchester debriefing paper sent to the Secretary of State on 24 October 2024.
  5. The Urgent Notification process was introduced in 2017 and is a means of raising immediate, urgent concerns following an inspection which requires a response and action plan from the Secretary of State within 28 days. A full report from the inspection is still published in the normal timeframe of within 14 weeks of the inspection. The Urgent Notification is supported by the evidence of the debrief from the inspection, which is presented to the governor, and which outlines the key issues which will be explored in more detail in the full report once published.
  6. We invoke an Urgent Notification by writing to the Secretary of State for Justice within seven calendar days of completing an inspection setting out our concerns. We also tell the governor of the prison that we are doing so. The Secretary of State then has 28 days following publication of the Urgent Notification to reply to us setting out an action plan of improvement. Find out more about Urgent Notifications.
  7. The inspection team assesses the establishment’s performance against the applicable healthy establishment tests using the following judgements: 4 – outcomes for prisoners are good, 3 – outcomes for prisoners are reasonably good, 2 – outcomes for prisoners are not sufficiently good and 1 – outcomes for prisoners are poor. In this inspection, the scores were Safety – 1, Respect – 1, Purposeful activity – 1, Preparation for release – 3.
  8. Winchester is the ninth prison to be issued with an Urgent Notification since November 2022 and the second category B training prison. The other prisons are Exeter, Woodhill, Bristol, Bedford, Wandsworth, Rochester and Cookham Wood YOI.
  9. 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.