A scandal-hit South London prison has a “renewed sense of purpose” after a change in governor, a watchdog has found.
HM Chief Inspector of Prisons Charlie Taylor said conditions at HMP Wandsworth were improving in a new report, following a three-day inspection over March 31 to April 2, although he warned the category B men’s jail still had “a long way to go”.
The watchdog found new governor Andy Davy had “brought energy and focus” to tackling safety and decency at the prison, since taking over the role in summer last year. The report said the rate of positive drug tests was lower than at the previous inspection, although still too high, while rates of violence and self-harm had decreased – including the level of assaults roughly halving.
The visit followed a “catastrophic” inspection of HMP Wandsworth last year, which found the prison in chaos and inmates in greater despair than Mr Taylor had ever seen.
Former governor Katie Price resigned during the inspection, which laid bare severe overcrowding, rising violence and widespread use of illegal drugs, ahead of an urgent notification placing the prison in special measures. There had been seven suicides of inmates in the 12 months leading up to the inspection.
The watchdog found ongoing failures in security at the prison, despite the high-profile escape of former soldier Daniel Khalife on the underside of a food delivery truck in September 2023. Khalife, 23, was jailed for 14 years and three months in February for spying for Iran and escaping from prison.
A former prison officer was also jailed for 15 months in January after she was filmed having sex with an inmate in a cell. Linda De Sousa Abreu, 31, was identified by senior prison staff after the video went viral.
The latest inspection revealed the prison was more stable due to major investment in staffing and training, including the safer custody and security teams, although the level of experience and capability among staff was still low. The prison was also calmer as its capacity had been reduced by 150 spaces, according to the report, and was due to be cut by another 150 spaces.
The report said the prison had successfully turned its Trinity unit into a working area for inmates in employment or education, while leaders had “well-developed plans” to create other wings with better support for prisoners to encourage positive behaviour. It added “promising work” was being done to help prisoners on remand, which made up around half of the jail’s population.
The inspection found prisoners spent too much time locked up in their cells, however, and the regime was “still too unpredictable in all parts of the prison”. The report said there were not enough places for inmates to take part in education, skills and work activities (ESW), while some much-needed big projects – including shower refurbishments – had not been completed.
It added prisoners had expressed frustration at the difficulty of getting basic matters dealt with, as applications and complaints processes were improving too slowly.
The report said: “There had been a great deal of positive activity since the inspection, resulting in some early progress. However, improvements remained limited and fragile, and it was clear that outcomes across many areas were still concerning. The governor was realistic about the scale of the challenges that remained ahead and was making steady progress.”
A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: “We are pleased inspectors recognised the progress made at HMP Wandsworth but acknowledge more work is needed to tackle the prison system crisis that this government inherited.
“Significant work has been undertaken at HMP Wandsworth to improve the safety, security and conditions at the prison. Specialist staff have been deployed and we will redirect £100million to be spent over five years.”
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