Chief Inspector raises alarm on Wandsworth prison after seven self inflicted deaths in past year

The chief inspector of prisons has issued an “urgent notification” regarding the conditions of Wandsworth prison following the self-inflicted deaths of seven inmates in the past year.

An urgent notification means the chief inspector of prisons, Charlie Taylor, directly alerts the Lord Chancellor and secretary of state for justice if there is an urgent and significant concern about the performance of a jail.

The warning comes following the prison’s most recent inspection, which took place earlier this week after successive damning reports which described the prison as “overcrowded”, with rising rates of violence amongst inmates.

In his report to Justice Secretary Alex Chalk, Mr Taylor said: “The poor outcomes we found at Wandsworth are systemic and cultural failures stemmed from poor leadership at every level of the prison, from HMPPS (His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service) and the Ministry of Justice.”

Wandsworth was the scene of an alleged escape by Daniel Khalife last year.

Despite the potential security breach, Mr Taylor said prison wings were still chaotic, with inexperienced and burnt-out staff unable to accurately account for all inmates during the day.

The chief inspector said: “Given the recent (alleged) escape, it was unfathomable that leaders had not focussed their attention on this area.”

As well as security concerns, Mr Taylor drew attention to 10 self-inflicted deaths which have occurred at the prison since its last inspection, including seven in the past 12 months.

The rate of self-harm was high and rising and about 40 per cent of emergency cell bells were not answered within five minutes.

The jail was described as “unsafe and inhumane” in the report, which found most prisoners were sharing cells designed for one person. 

Overall rates of violence, including serious assaults, had increased since the previous inspection and were higher than those at the most similar prisons, with 69 per cent of prisoners reportedly feeling unsafe.

More than half of prisoners surveyed said it was easy to get illicit drugs into the prison – and that the smell of cannabis was “ubiquitous”.

Mr Taylor said there were many “well-meaning” and “hard-working” leaders and staff at the prison, but they were often “fighting against a tide of cross-cutting, intractable problems” which required long-term solutions.

He said: “For this troubled prison to begin to recover, Wandsworth needs permanent experienced leaders at all levels who are invested in its long-term future to improve security and safety, and to guide their less experienced colleagues. 

“Until this happens, the risk of a further catastrophe, a self-inflicted death or escape from lawful custody, is ever present.”

Following the urgent notification the secretary of state will publish a response and a plan of action within 28 days. After that, a long-term plan is to be established for continued improvement.

The chief inspector of prisons has issued six urgent notifications about prisons in England and Wales since November 2022.

Prisons Minister Edward Argar said: “This is a deeply concerning report which shows HMP Wandsworth continues to face significant challenges and it is clear that on top of the additional support we’ve already provided since September to improve safety and security, including nearly £1million of upgrades, we need to go further still.

“In the coming weeks, we will be strengthening the management team with extra experienced staff to provide the leadership, culture change and training needed to turn Wandsworth around. In the interim we are deploying more staff, including prison officers, to the prison and will set out further action shortly.”

Pictured top: Wandsworth Prison (Picture: PA)