Charity condemns 'truly squalid' prison conditions

The Chief Inspector of Prisons has described Winchester Prison as "persistently underachieving"

A prison where inspectors found high levels of drug use and self-harm has been called "truly squalid" by a prison reform charity.

Winchester Prison was described as "unsafe" after a visit by HM Inspectorate of Prisons in October.

The Howard League for Penal Reform said the full inspection report, released earlier, raised questions about the government's plans to build more prisons.

The Ministry of Justice said an urgent action plan was in place to support the prison and its staff.

Built in the mid-19th Century, Winchester is a category B reception prison capable of holding up to 649 adult male prisoners from across southern England.

The inspection report described the prison, which had been inspected four times since 2016, as "persistently underachieving".

Inspectors reported that that one prisoner at Winchester had been able to remove his own cell door

It said concerns raised during an inspection in 2022 had still not been addressed and that the situation had "deteriorated further" since then.

In a survey of prisoners conducted by the inspectorate, 47% of prisoners who responded said it was easy to get drugs, which the report described as "staggering".

Over a quarter of prisoners said they felt unsafe, and the report said serious assaults were the second highest of all reception jails.

Security at the prison was described as "seriously compromised" with a third of CCTV cameras being broken.

Inspectors also reported that the building was in such poor condition that one prisoner had been able to remove his own cell door.

The Chief Inspector of Prisons, Charlie Taylor, said: "There was no denying the failings in leadership at this prison.

"Not enough had been done by leaders to make sure that standards were enforced or that prisoners' basic needs were met."

He said despite having a full complement of prison officers, too many staff lacked competence and confidence.

"The poor outcomes at Winchester represent systemic failings under the oversight of HMPPS [HM Prison and Probation Service]," he added.

'Dire situation'

Andrea Coomber, chief executive of the Howard League for Penal Reform, said: "This is one of the worst reports on a prison that I have ever read, and the photographs of filthy toilets, broken windows and mouldy walls tell their own story.

"This raises important questions about the leadership of the prison, both locally and nationally, and about the government's plans to build more jails when the ones we have are failing so miserably."

Steve Gillan, general secretary for the Prison Officers' Association (POA), said the report was a "damning example of the crisis" in prisons across the country.

"Many of the issues raised by the inspectors have been raised repeatedly by our members who work on the frontline," the union boss said.

"The stark declaration that the 'prison is unsafe' is of huge concern to the POA, our members at this prison are being exposed to high levels of serious assaults, a completely unacceptable situation."

Under its new prisons strategy, the government will build four new prisons over the next seven years, creating 6,400 new places.

Lord Timpson, Minister for Prisons and Probation, said: "The dire situation at Winchester highlighted by the Chief Inspector is yet another symptom of the prison crisis we inherited.

"We are supporting the prison and its staff who are working hard to deliver improvements in challenging circumstances.

"This action plan will ensure they have the support they need."