Over 900 Outstanding Jobs in HMP Wandsworth’s Facilities Log

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07 August 2024

An inspection of HMP Wandsworth has revealed extremely poor living conditions, with over 900 unactioned jobs in its facilities log at the time of inspection.

The inspection, which occurred in May 2024, resulted in an Urgent Notification – the worst possible result under the current inspection framework.

There have been ten self-inflicted deaths at the prison since the last inspection, seven of which had occurred in the last year.

Lord Chancellor and Justice Secretary, Shabana Mahmood has published an urgent action plan to address the prison’s failings. 

"...The appalling conditions at Wandsworth did not appear overnight and are the result of sustained decline permitted to happen in plain view of leaders in the jail..."

–Charlie Taylor

HM Chief Inspector of Prisons

“Dirty and Dilapidated”

The inspection report revealed dirty cells with missing and broken furniture, windows, flooring and blocked toilets. Just 23 per cent of respondents to a new prisoner survey said that their cell had been clean when they arrived. In one case, poorly maintained sinks were leaking into the cells below. Many cells had no screening around toilets, even though they held two prisoners together, regularly for over 22 hours a day. 

Pigeons, rats and mice are also a problem, with inspectors finding rodent faeces and urine across residential units.

The fabric of the buildings and facilities was also criticised, with showers and heating still needing “significant investment” to bring them up to a decent standard. Several hot water and heating outages happened across the prison during the inspection and there were over 900 outstanding jobs in its facilities log.

The inspector noted that monthly checks by senior management were helping to identify and log missing furniture in cells, as well as meetings with the  Government Facilities Services Limited onsite team to discuss outstanding repairs. However, issues still went unreported, with staff not ensuring that standards were being maintained day-to-day.

The government has said that it will deploy extra specialist staff at Wandsworth and redirect £100 million from across the Prison Service to deliver urgent improvements, including cell windows repairs, shower refurbishments and investment in fire safety measures.  

Charlie Taylor, HM Chief Inspector of Prisons, said: “The level of chaos we found at Wandsworth was deeply shocking. The prison population crisis has undoubtedly compounded the pressures on the jail, but the appalling conditions at Wandsworth did not appear overnight and are the result of sustained decline permitted to happen in plain view of leaders in the jail, HMPPS and the MoJ whose own systems clearly identified the prison as struggling.

“This will not be a quick fix. For this troubled prison to begin to recover, Wandsworth needs permanent experienced leaders at all levels who are invested in the long-term future of the prison to improve security, safety and guide their less experienced colleagues. We will be watching closely to see whether this is the case.”

Picture: a photograph showing the front exterior of HMP Wandsworth. Image Credit: Adobe Stock

Article written by Ella Tansley | Published 07 August 2024

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