London’s largest prison HMP Wandsworth
(Picture: PA)Serious violence inside London’s largest prison has doubled in six months after an influx of rival gang members, an official report has revealed.
The increased number of attacks at Wandsworth prison, which houses around 1,400 inmates, has also been fuelled by inmates spending more time outside their cells.
Staff said this had allowed more time for “tensions to develop” and were trying to find ways to reduce the level of violence. But the report by HM Chief Inspector of Prisons Charlie Taylor warns although investigations into attacks have improved, many staff “lacked confidence to challenge poor behaviour” and are unclear about their role in trying to make the jail safer.
It also warns that Wandsworth is blighted by overcrowding and “very poor” living conditions with “piles of litter”, and highlights a lack of education provision, inadequate preparation for housing inmates on their release and staff shortages.
But it pinpoints violence as one of the most pressing concerns, saying that the already “high” number of attacks “among prisoners and against staff” has increased since the previous inspection late last year.
“During the previous six months, serious assaults had doubled compared to the six months before the last inspection,” the report states.
“Leaders attributed this to the change in roll for Wandsworth which now accepted prisoners from a larger number of courts in the Greater London area.
“They felt this had increased the number of gang-related issues that staff had to manage and prisoners now spent more time out of cell which allowed more opportunity for these tensions to develop.”
Mr Taylor added: “The problem of the very high rates of non-effective staff was unchanged since the inspection. Without progress in this area, outcomes at Wandsworth will continue to struggle.”
