Wandsworth Prison needs urgent improvement, watchdog finds

HMP Wandsworth is the third most crowded prison in England and Wales

England's second-biggest prison is stricken with severe overcrowding, vermin and rising violence among inmates, inspectors have found.

Chief inspector of prisons Charlie Taylor has issued an "urgent notification" about conditions in HMP Wandsworth.

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

The prison's governor, Katie Price, resigned during the inspection earlier this week.

An urgent notification means the chief inspector of prisons 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.

• Rats and sewage in prison unbearable - volunteer

The secretary of state will then publish a response and a plan of action within 28 days.

After that, a long-term plan is established for continued improvement.

The prison was described as "unsafe and inhumane" in another recent report

In his report to Justice Secretary Alex Chalk, Mr Taylor said the environment in the south-west London prison was characterised by "a degree of despondency he had not come across in his time as chief inspector".

He added: "The poor outcomes we found at Wandsworth are systemic and cultural failures and stemmed from poor leadership at every level of the prison, from HMPPS (HM Prison and Probation Service) and the Ministry of Justice.

"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, safety and 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."

• Wandsworth Prison unsafe and inhumane - report

• Wandsworth prison life: Decay, drugs and drudgery

• Eighty prison staff absent on day Khalife escaped

The report is the latest official criticism of Wandsworth, following an inspection by its independent monitoring board last year.

The jail was described as "unsafe and inhumane" in the report, which said Wandsworth's failings reflected the wider prison system.

The report also found most prisoners were sharing cells designed for one person - and said inexperienced and burnt-out staff could not accurately account for all inmates during the day.

The inspector also noted how some men had had no access to a shower for five days.

Self-harm cases were also rising.

The Prison Governors' Association confirmed on X, formerly Twitter, this week that Ms Price had resigned as Wandsworth's governor.

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 £1m 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."

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

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