Some prisoners could only leave their cell for 90 minutes a day
Staff corruption is a ‘major problem’ at an overcrowded West London prison where over a third of inmates are testing positive for illegal drugs, prison inspectors have found. HMP Wormwood Scrubs, a Category B prison in Hammersmith, currently holds up to 1,212 adult men, with around 60 per cent of those typically on remand or awaiting sentence.
A report released today by HM Chief Inspector of Prisons detailed one of the strictest regimes on the prison estate, where prisoners on different wings are prevented from mixing, access to the library is ‘very limited’, and unemployed prisoners (39 per cent of inmates) were only unlocked for one-and-a-half hours at most a day. Families also faced issues booking visits due to a faulty system.
The inspection also found the prison is ‘badly affected’ by drugs, with more than a third of tests showing positive results. Though security had improved windows and netting to stop the flow, the body scanner in the reception was not always used, gate security was inconsistent, and staff corruption was a ‘major problem’, according to the Inspectorate.
Commenting on potential violence by staff, the report added: “It was disappointing to find that the lack of oversight of the use of force, which had been a concern at our last inspection, was still not good enough. Many officers were failing to activate their body-worn cameras, with only 32 per cent of incidents recorded in the past year.”
Despite the issues, inspectors also found safeguarding had improved with no self-inflicted deaths for almost two years, compared to 10 that occurred between 2018 and 2022, and six between 2021 and 2023. “The rate of self-harm was the lowest of all comparator prisons,” the report writers said.
Inspectors also noted the prison was ‘reasonably calm and ordered’ and ‘capable staff and middle managers meant the prison ran more effectively than similar jails’. You can read the full report here.
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