The high-security jail that holds Charles Bronson needs “urgent support” amid the high rate of attacks on prison officers and “chronic” staff shortages, the watchdog has said.
The chief inspector of prisons, Charlie Taylor, wrote to the justice secretary, Alex Chalk, to issue an urgent notification for improvement at HMP Woodhill after an inspection found the Milton Keynes jail was “fundamentally unsafe”.
Staff at Woodhill, which has dangerous category A offenders among its inmates and accommodates up to 500 prisoners, were subject to the “highest rate of serious assaults in England and Wales” and inspectors found “bullying and intimidation by prisoners to be commonplace”.
The watchdog said the low morale meant many staff had “voted with their feet”, with more officers leaving than joining and with “no indication that the situation would improve”.
Inspectors found high levels of violence and drug use at the jail when they visited between 14 August and 25 August. There has been a “worrying decline” in conditions at Woodhill between the five inspections carried out since 2014, Taylor said in his letter.
Reported incidents of violence at the prison had “risen sharply”, with 298 attacks recorded in the 12 months leading up to the inspection, compared with 182 assaults prior to the previous inspection.
The use of force against inmates was also “among the highest in the adult male estate” but leaders “had yet to take effective action to make the prison safer”.
At least 26 prisoners were found “self-isolating in their cells in fear for their safety” and the rate of self-harm was the highest in the country for men’s prisons.
Taylor said: “This was a very concerning inspection. Woodhill is a complex, high-risk prison, holding prisoners convicted of serious offences. It simply cannot operate effectively with such chronic staff shortages.
“Urgent support is needed from [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.
“It should be of considerable concern to us all that only a third of the prisoners at Woodhill said that their experience would make them less likely to reoffend in the future, a far lower proportion than at similar prisons.”
Staff shortages meant education classes and work were often cancelled for prisoners, while the library had been shut since 2020.
Pia Sinha, chief executive of the Prison Reform Trust, described the report as “shocking”, adding: “After repeated warnings, it is extremely disappointing that the prison now finds itself in this position.
“Ministers urgently need to get a grip on what has gone wrong.”
The prisons minister, Damian Hinds, said: “The findings of this report demonstrate the urgent need for improvement at HMP Woodhill and we will be working closely and quickly with the prison to set out how it can address these issues.”
Ministry of Justice figures published in July showed the number of prisons rated “outstanding” had fallen to its lowest point in six years.
PA Media contributed to this report
