HMP Wandsworth, the south London prison from which a terror suspect escaped last year, is 'crumbling, overcrowded and vermin-infested', according to a report from its independent monitoring board. The board concluded that 'the prison is not safe' and that 'conditions remained inhumane'.
The report, covering June 2023 to May 2024, found that deaths at the prison more than doubled from four to ten, with six self-inflicted. There were almost 1,000 assaults and a similar number of self-harm incidents. Force was used against prisoners on 1,874 occasions, and batons were drawn 52 times.
Most cells, built for one person 173 years ago, now hold two inmates. The board noted that faeces from the endemic rat population had been found in shower blocks, and pigeon droppings were scattered on landings. On one Sunday in May, a wing housing 122 men had only 50 blankets, 25 sheets, 30 towels and no underwear.
The board checked 11 key problems from 2023 and found no change in eight; only medication distribution showed significant progress. Gate security had been tightened, but drone deliveries of contraband increased to 261 incidents. A total of 564 mobile phones were confiscated, up from 343, and 344 drug finds were recorded, up from 260.
HM Inspectorate of Prisons recently issued an urgent notification about the prison due to 'failings in almost all aspects of the prison's operation'. Matthew Andrews, chair of the monitoring board, said: 'For HMP Wandsworth and the men whose treatment we monitor, this year has been as bad as any in our memory and, by many measures, worse.'
A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said the new government inherited a justice system in crisis and is taking action. They announced that the prison service is deploying extra specialist staff and redirecting £100m over five years to improve conditions at HMP Wandsworth.
