Fears over Wandsworth prisoner safety

The damning report on Wandsworth jail said the safety of inmates is “of serious concern”, but managers are not willing to tackle the problems at the facility.

Nick Hardwick, the chief inspector of prisons, said the treatment of prisoners in Wandsworth “fell below what could be classed as decent”.

He said managers appeared unwilling to address concerns, staff interactions with prisoners were “frequently indifferent and sometimes abusive”, and victims of bullies were not properly protected.

“I did not detect sufficient willingness in the prison to acknowledge and address these concerns,” Mr Hardwick said.

“I hope the prison service management will now act decisively to reverse the prison’s decline.”

The last report on Wandsworth jail came out in 2009, but was marred when difficult prisoners were shifted to other jails so they were not present during inspections.

The safety of prisoners held in Wandsworth is now a matter of serious concern. Wandsworth prison report

The new document said progress at the prison has stalled.

It said: “The safety of prisoners held in Wandsworth is now a matter of serious concern. Wandsworth compared badly with similar prisons facing similar challenges and we were concerned by what appeared to be unwillingness among some prison managers and staff to acknowledge and take responsibility for the problems the prison faced.

“We were also concerned that poor staff-prisoner relationships, the lack of a predictable regime, deficiency of association, and insufficient activity contributed to feelings of isolation and alienation that might have led to self-harming behaviour.”

The report warned that the level of force used in the prison was high, as were levels of self-harm and self-inflicted deaths among prisoners. It found that some prisoners were only allowed out of their cells for two hours a day.

Michael Spurr, chief executive of the National Offender Management Service (NOMS), admitted it was a “poor report” but said action had already been taken to address the inspectors’ recommendations.

The shocking report, one of the worst I can remember, shows how quickly and how far a large local prison can go downhill. Geoff Dobson, Prison Reform Trust

“Managers and staff at the prison are in no doubt that they must improve performance,” he said.

“I visited the prison last week and I am satisfied that improvements are being made. We will continue to monitor progress and will deliver the improvements required.”

Geoff Dobson, deputy director of the Prison Reform Trust, said: “This shocking report, one of the worst I can remember, shows how quickly and how far a large local prison can go downhill.

“The prison was not safe, with high levels of self harm and self-inflicted deaths; vulnerable people were not adequately protected; prisoners spent most of each day locked in their cells; and the report cites frequently indifferent and sometimes abusive staff interactions with prisoners.

“With Government talking about creating working prisons, the chief inspector has exposed an establishment that was in some respects close to a warehouse, leaving many of those in its charge more damaged than when they were taken in through its gates.”