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Violence and dilapidation creating serious threats to safety at troubled Winchester prison

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Winchester prison had deteriorated to such an extent that the Inspectorate of Prisons has issued an Urgent Notification, with prisoner safety at the local and resettlement jail seriously undermined by very high levels of violence, self-harm and drug use, and some very poor accommodation standards.

Drugs, debt and prisoner frustration had led to the highest level of serious assaults against staff of all reception prisons, and the second highest for serious assaults against prisoners. Self-harm was the third highest of all reception prisons and prisoners complained about a lack of mental health support. Damage to phone sockets in cells, and delays in approving prisoners’ telephone numbers, meant that some new arrivals at the jail struggled to contact their family, further increasing their frustration. Drug use was rife, with 41% of men testing positive for illicit drug use in August and 47% reporting that it was easy to get hold of illicit substances, but the prison’s approach to drug testing had been weak. A third of CCTV cameras were broken, which further compromised security.

Many prisoners lived in dreadful conditions, with some cells so damp and mouldy that inspectors questioned whether they were fit for habitation. Many men, including those spending their first night in prison, had to live in cold cells with offensive graffiti and broken or missing furniture. The prison was dilapidated – to the extent that one prisoner had been able to remove his own cell door – and the environment was filthy. Some significant repairs, for example to leaking roofs and broken windows, had been outstanding since 2022.

Most prisoners were unlocked for only 2.5 hours a day, and even when they were out of their cells they spent almost all of their time in appalling surroundings. Far too few were doing anything purposeful with their time. Ofsted branded the overall effectiveness of education as ‘inadequate’.

Winchester was in a very poor state and had been for many years. At this most recent inspection we found that standards had deteriorated to the point that we had no choice but to issue an Urgent Notification for improvement. These very poor outcomes represent systemic failings under the oversight of HMPPS and the Ministry of Justice, and will require sustained support and investment if the jail is to provide decent living conditions, keep prisoners safe and provide them with the skills they need to succeed in life outside prison.
Martin Lomas, HM Deputy Chief Inspector of Prisons

Notes to editors

  1. This inspection took place between 7 and 17 October 2024.
  2. Read the letter announcing the Urgent Notification at Winchester and the debriefing paper sent to the Secretary of State on 23 October 2024 here.
  3. 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 time frame 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.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.
  6. Winchester is the ninth prison to be issued with an Urgent Notification since November 2022. The other prisons are Exeter, Woodhill, Bristol, Bedford, Wandsworth, Rochester, Cookham Wood YOI and Manchester. This is the second Urgent Notification the Inspectorate has issued in October.
  7. 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.
  8. Please email media@hmiprisons.gov.uk if you would like more information.