Winchester Prison buildings 'unsafe' and 'dungeon-like'

HMP Winchester has two parts - a category B Victorian prison and the smaller West Hill site

A troubled jail's rehabilitation unit was like a dungeon and "unfit for habitation", a report has found.

The Independent Monitoring Board (IMB) also found the "repeated delay" of HMP Winchester's replacement care and separation unit was "outrageous and shameful".

It added violence and incidents of self-harm at the prison remained high and "concerning", despite reductions.

The Prison Service said it would "strive for further improvement".

'Safety difficulties'

Inspectors found the prison's care and separation unit remained "unfit for habitation, unsafe and prevents the humane treatment of prisoners" with no "definite date" or funding for a replacement building, despite the board informing ministers of the issues "for several years".

"It is dungeon-like and not conducive to the care and rehabilitation of the prison's most challenging prisoners," the report said.

It added: "This repeated delay is outrageous and shameful, permanently causing major operational and safety difficulties."

The rate of assaults on staff, per 1,000 prisoners, was 406.1 between June 2018 and May 2019. That figure reduced to 360.3 between June 2019 and May this year.

However, inspectors said the figure was concerning, as it was the eighth highest nationally.

The prison was also found to have the third greatest number of self-harm incidents, though that was an improvement on last year when it had the highest rate of all local male prisons, it added.

The report said staff were to be commended on the fact there had only been one self-inflicted death within 12 months, at the end of May.

The IMB said staff had "worked hard" to reduce violence but its continuing high level was "a cause for concern".

'Major drugs problem'

Although the IMB said staff "generally do their utmost, under difficult circumstances", it added the dated construction of the prison's buildings also made it "intrinsically unsafe".

Some prisoners with physical disabilities were found to be "lodged on landings", meaning they could not always easily access exercise yards, meals or showers, while drugs entering the prison was still said to be a major problem.

Last year the IMB's annual report found inmates were at "serious risk" from the availability of drugs.

A Prison Service spokesman said: "A new X-ray scanner is preventing drugs from entering, repairs to the jail are now being completed quicker and every prisoner has dedicated support from a member of staff.

"We know there is more to do and will continue to strive for further improvement."

HMP Winchester has two parts - a category B Victorian prison, holding up to 561 prisoners, and the smaller West Hill site with about 130 category C inmates.