PR 285: HMP PENTONVILLE INSPECTION REPORT EXPOSES THE CRISIS IN THE UK’S JAILS SAYS UNION

The appalling state of HMP Pentonville is one of the clearest examples of the crisis facing the country’s prisons a union leader has said. 

The latest inspection of the London prison has resulted in an Urgent Notification being issued by the inspectorate to the Secretary of State because of the conditions found.

Amongst a long list of concerns Inspectors found:

• Leaders had insufficient grip of critical areas of delivery in the prison and were failing to ensure even the most basic standards were maintained.
• Prisoners being illegally imprisoned beyond their release date
• Inadequate first night and induction arrangements 
• Men held in dirty, ill-equipped cells which were missing key items, including bedding, furniture, telephones and pillows.
• Not enough spaces on the induction wing
• A lack of support for prisoners at risk of self-harm
• Squalid conditions
• The prison had fewer than 600 activity spaces for a population of 1,207
• A large majority of prisoners spending more than 22 hours a day locked in their cells.

This is the fifth time since 2015 the prison has been inspected and major problems found.

Commenting on the issuing of the Urgent Notification Steve Gillan, General Secretary of the Prison Officers Association said: 

“The situation at Pentonville reflects many of the issues our members are experiencing across the country. Overcrowding, understaffing, a squalid prison estate and poor leadership are indicative of a prison system in crisis. The fact that Pentonville has gone through 5 inspections in 10 years and has again been issued with an Urgent Notice, is a damning indictment of the HMPPS and their ability to drive the urgent changes required for Pentonville to be fit for purpose.”

National Chair, Mark Fairhurst said:

“I am concerned that the Chief Inspector of Prisons is targeting public sector prisons only when issuing Urgent Notifications when compared to private prisons that have experienced similar difficulties. This report highlights everything the POA have warned successive governments about continually. Inheriting a prison estate in crisis is no longer an excuse for inaction. My members at Pentonville deserve better from an employer that struggles to change anything for the better.”

 

 

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