HMP Woodhill prisoners to be relocated after 'unsafe' inspection

Some inmates will be temporarily moved from HMP Woodhill to tackle issues of safety

The number of inmates is being temporarily reduced at a prison deemed "fundamentally unsafe".

On 1 September, inspectors called for HMP Woodhill in Milton Keynes to be put into emergency measures amid attacks on officers and "chronic" staff shortages.

In response, the Justice Secretary Alex Chalk said that some inmates would be transferred to other prisons while staff recruitment was prioritised.

He said he took concerns about violence and staffing "very seriously".

Woodhill holds about 500 male offenders, with some being Category A prisoners.

The report by the HM Inspectorate of Prisons watchdog said it had the "highest rate of serious assaults in England and Wales" on staff, with "bullying and intimidation by prisoners to be commonplace".

Prison inspectors said that HMP Woodhill could not "operate effectively" with chronic staff shortages

Chief inspector of Prisons, Charlie Taylor, expressed concern that a "complex, high-risk" prison like Woodhill could not "operate effectively with such chronic staff shortages".

"Urgent support is needed from HMPPS [His Majesty's Prison and Probation Service] to help Woodhill and other establishments to develop credible, long-term plans that improve staff recruitment, and, crucially, staff retention," he said.

The government was given 28 days to respond to the report.

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In a letter to the Chief Inspector of Prisons, Mr Chalk said: "As an immediate action, the population at the establishment will be further temporarily reduced."

The prisoners being moved would be those "who present disruptive risks to the good order of HMP Woodhill".

"Prisoners relocated... will be placed at appropriate prisons based on their security category and needs," the action plan read.

The government also promised to improve "national recruitment" across prisons and to provide more training to support staff wellbeing and retention.

It would also recruit someone as a "drug strategy lead" for at least a year.