Not nearly enough progress had been made at HMP Wormwood Scrubs, said Peter Clarke, Chief Inspector of Prisons. Today he published the report of an announced inspection of the West London local jail.

This announced inspection of HMP Wormwood Scrubs took place 18 months after the last inspection, when inspectors also had serious concerns. The prison remained in a poor condition with unacceptably poor outcomes for the 1,258 men held, with much too little done to address their behaviour before they returned to the community. Progress had been severely hindered by very poor industrial relations at the prison. There were staffing shortages and the main union was opposed to the staffing arrangements for an improved regime the governor had wanted to introduce. Eventually national managers and union officials negotiated an alternative regime, which was in theory an improvement. In reality, the new regime was not being consistently delivered.

Inspectors were concerned to find that:

• safety had deteriorated;
• many prisoners arrived late in the day and reception processes continued into the early hours of the morning, undermining the ability of staff to identify risks;
• inadequate arrangements for prisoners who required alcohol detoxification were particularly dangerous;
• the number of assaults on prisoners and staff was double that at similar prisons and at the time of the last inspection;
• there had been two self-inflicted deaths since the last inspection and while limited improvements had been made to supporting prisoners at risk of suicide and self-harm, procedures remained weak;
• almost two out of five prisoners said it was easy to get drugs in the prison, drug use was linked to gang activity and debt and the prison’s response to these threats was wholly inadequate;
• the regime was generally so poor for everyone that the incentives and earned privileges schemes provided little encouragement for good behaviour;
• levels of use of force were far higher than in similar prisoners and oversight was poor;
• too little had been done to meet the needs of foreign national prisoners, particularly those who could not read or speak English;
• the prison had a significant rat problem and there had been unacceptable failures by nationally commissioned facilities management services;
• most prisoners still had less than two hours a day out of their cells;
• poor use was made of the activity places available and attendance and punctuality were poor, although there were efforts to improve the quality of the activities available and some signs of improvement;
• offender management and resettlement services were poor – staff shortages meant that most prisoners did not have an offender supervisor and there was a large backlog of risk assessments; and
• since the new community rehabilitation company had taken over resettlement services, the proportion of prisoners who had accommodation on release had fallen from 95% to 60%, according to the prison’s own data.

However, inspectors were pleased to find that:

• there was good provision for older prisoners and an effective chaplaincy;
• there had been some improvements to the physical environment;
• health services were reasonable and mental health services were a strength; and
• some resettlement services, such as substance misuse support and family support, were good.

Peter Clarke said:

“Wormwood Scrubs is a prison that continues to fall short of expected standards, and at the time of our inspection there was little cause for optimism. We leave the prison managers and staff with a series of recommendations, many repeated, which we believe require immediate attention if the establishment is to begin to fulfil its responsibilities.”

Michael Spurr, Chief Executive of the National Offender Management Service, said:

“Wormwood Scrubs is an old, crowded, Victorian prison. It is challenging to run and we have struggled to make the improvements necessary to meet inspectorate recommendations and to provide a purposeful regime for prisoners. Poor industrial relations over a protracted period haven’t helped – but the governor now has an agreed improvement plan in place and progress is being made.

Since the inspection, the prison is cleaner; more prisoners are going to activities; violence is being tackled; and better support is being provided to vulnerable prisoners. There is a long way to go – but the prison is moving forward and the governor will receive the support he needs to accelerate progress.”

 

Notes to editors:    

1. Read the report.

2. HM Inspectorate of Prisons is an independent inspectorate, inspecting places of detention to report on conditions and treatment, and promote positive outcomes for those detained and the public.
3. HMP Wormwood Scrubs is a local prison serving the courts of West London and is a designated resettlement prison for London prisoners. It holds young adults on remand and is a hub prison for foreign national prisoners subject to immigration enforcement.
4. This announced inspection was carried out from 30 November – 4 December 2015.
5. Please contact Jane Parsons at HMI Prisons press office on 020 3681 2775 or 07880 787452 if you would like more information or to request an interview.