Data is aggregated from public sources and may be incomplete or out of date. Always verify with primary sources before acting on any figure. See data sources.
This review visit followed up on the concerns we raised at our last made the following judgements about outcomes for prisoners. Figure 1: HMP Wandsworth healthy prison outcomes in 2021 and 2024 At the full inspection in 2024, outcomes were largely poor and still of illicit drugs was widespread, while supply reduction work lacked rigour. Random mandatory drug testing (MDT) had only just restarted and showed that around 44% of prisoners were using drugs. Despite a inflicted deaths since the previous inspection.
— UK IMB Annual Report (2024) —
Safety: 4.1 Reception and induction Issues described in previous reports largely remain. With the overall prison system close to capacity throughout the period under review, HMP Wandsworth was under pressure to take more prisoners, even though it was reporting itself as full. The prison generally refused to take vans after 8.30pm as, otherwise, there would be insufficient staff in reception and later [...]
Respect: 5.1 Accommodation, clothing, food Over 90% of prisoners were required to share cells that were constructed in the Victorian era for single occupancy. Unless fundamental changes and upgrades are made to the prison, it will remain inhumane and unfit for purpose. In October, K wing in Trinity, was closed to make way for a substantial refurbishment, including CCTV, fire safety and window [...]
Purposeful activity: On average, there were around 800 daily activity spaces across morning and afternoon sessions. Allocation figures were in the 85%-94% range, often subject to the churn of prisoners entering and exiting the prison. Activity places were allocated in waiting list order. In an improvement on the previous reporting period, activity opportunities were available to more men as a result of strict [...]
Preparation for release: The work load for the OMU and, particularly, the probation departments increased in July, following the Government announcement of an early release scheme to free up prison capacity. Under the scheme, certain prisoners would be released in September after serving only 40% of their sentence. Probation was under pressure to find accommodation for the men and some were released with no fixed abode. [...]
Visiting
This review visit followed up on the concerns we raised at our last some impressive improvements: the legal visits and video conferencing took place in an excellent facility and the visits hall had been decorated with
Mailing
Notification (UN) process on 8 May 2024. In that letter, and in the inspection prisoners were lucky if they got a phone call. Understandably, the governor had been focused on keeping the day-to-day
Practical info
HMP Wandsworth is a local category B reception and resettlement Note: rehabilitation and release planning became ‘preparation for release’ in October 2023. of illicit drugs was widespread, while supply reduction work lacked near 500 individuals requiring some form of mental health referral each month. scores which were poor for safety, respect and purposeful activity and not sufficiently good in preparation for release. confirm where all their prisoners were during the working day.
Known issues
of illicit drugs was widespread, while supply reduction work lacked rigour. Random mandatory drug testing (MDT) had only just restarted and showed that around 44% of prisoners were using drugs. Despite a The rate of self-harm was high and rising, and there had been 10 self- inflicted deaths since the previous inspection. Violence, including serious incidents, had also increased.
Boris Franz Becker (German: [ËboËÊɪs ËbÉkÉ] ; born 22 November 1967) is a German former professional tennis player, tennis coach and a commentator.
Ronald Arthur Biggs (8 August 1929 â 18 December 2013) was a British criminal who helped plan and carry out the Great Train Robbery of 1963.
Source: Wikidata + Wikipedia.
Contact & address
HMP Wandsworth PO Box 757 Heathfield Road Wandsworth London SW18 3HS See map Help us to improve this page. Give us your feedback in this 2-minutes survey., London SW18 3HS
Higher risk than 100% of peer facilities in United Kingdom.
Occupancythis: 159% · peers avg: 107% (+49%)
Capacity (beds)this: 943 · peers avg: 568 (+66%)
Reports
HMIP12 May 2025
1.1
HMP Wandsworth is a local category B reception and resettlement
prison for men. It has a high turnover of prisoners and about half of
men are on remand.
1.2
This review visit followed up on the concerns we raised at our last
inspection of HMP Wandsworth in 2024.
What we found at our last inspection
1.3
At our previous inspections of HMP Wandsworth in 2021 and 2024 we
made the following judgements about outcomes for prisoners.
Figure 1: HMP Wandsworth healthy prison outcomes in 2021 and 2024
Note: rehabilitation and release planning became ‘preparation for release’ in October 2023.
1.4
At the full inspection in 2024, outcomes were largely poor and still
declining across a range of areas. The wings were chaotic and the use
of illicit drugs was widespread, while supply reduction work lacked
rigour. Random mandatory drug testing (MDT) had only just restarted
and showed that around 44% of prisoners were using drugs. Despite a
high-profile escape, there were ongoing weaknesses in procedural and
dynamic security.
1.5
The rate of self-harm was high and rising, and there had been 10 self-
inflicted deaths since the previous inspection. Violence, including
serious incidents, had also increased. This was higher than at most
similar prisons.
1.6
The prison was badly overcrowded and living conditions were poor. In
our survey, only 41% of prisoners said that most staff treated them with
Built 170 years ago, Wandsworth prison in south London has come to epitomise
the decaying inner city Victorian institution, symbolic of the problems that
characterise what is worst about the English prison system. An overcrowded
reception prison with a significant turnover of population, at the time of the
inspection it held over 1,500 men. Of these, half were on remand and nearly
half were foreign nationals, with the level of need perhaps best evidenced in the
near 500 individuals requiring some form of mental health referral each month.
The findings of our inspection led me to write, in accordance with the protocol I
have with the Ministry of Justice, to the Secretary of State invoking the Urgent
Notification (UN) process on 8 May 2024. In that letter, and in the inspection
debriefing paper that accompanied it, I set out my concerns about the jail.
Under the protocol, the Secretary of State commits to respond publicly to the
UN within 28 days, explaining how outcomes for those detained will be
improved. The publication of that response was quite understandably delayed
owing to purdah with respect to the recent (2024) general election.
At the time of our inspection, Wandsworth was a prison still reeling from a very
high-profile escape that occurred in late 2023. Our findings suggest that security
remained a significant concern, although failings were evident in almost all
aspects of the prison’s operation, a fact reflected in our healthy prison test
scores which were poor for safety, respect and purposeful activity and not
sufficiently good in preparation for release.
We found chaos on the wings, and staff across most units were unable to
confirm where all their prisoners were during the working day. There was, for
example, no reliable roll check that could assure leaders that all prisoners were
accounted for. Given the recent escape, and the amount of input from the
prison service, it was unfathomable that leaders had not focussed their attention
on this area. There had been 10 self-inflicted deaths since the last inspection,
seven of which had occurred in the last 12 months. The rate of self-harm was
high and rising, and yet around 40% of emergency cell bells were not answered
within five minutes.
Overall rates of violence, including serious assaults, had increased since the
last inspection and were higher than most similar prisons. In our survey, 69% of
prisoners said they had felt unsafe at Wandsworth. Over half (51%) of prisoners
surveyed said it was easy to get illicit drugs and the smell of cannabis was
everywhere. Although leaders had identified this issue as presenting the highest
level of security risk, they had suspended drug testing between August 2023
and January 2024. In the most recent confirmed random drug test results
(February 2024), 44% of prisoners tested positive.
Wandsworth has a transient population and was badly overcrowded with very
poor living conditions. Cells were cramped and ill-equipped, and the prison was
still too dirty. The fabric of the buildings and facilities including showers and
heating still needed significant investment to bring them up to a decent
standard. In our survey only 41% of prisoners said that staff treated them with
4.1 Reception and induction Issues described in previous reports largely remain. With the overall prison system close to capacity throughout the period under review, HMP Wandsworth was under pressure to take more prisoners, even though it was reporting itself as full. The prison generally refused to take vans after 8.30pm as, otherwise, there would be insufficient staff in reception and later arrivals might not reach their cells until well after midnight. This could present safety risks, particularly if there was a shift change before the arrivals had been processed. There were also issues getting prisoners to court on time, due to factors including late unlocks, the general efficiency of reception, and the availability of vans. On a number of occasions, third-day induction started late and not all the relevant agencies were present. At times, there were no orderlies (trusted prisoners who take on work to provide services that contribute to the running of the prison) to show new prisoners how to use the digital kiosks (self-service computer terminals that allow prisoners to manage their daily affairs), or the kiosks were not working. The prison was focused on improving the induction process and had produced a 20-minute video as its centre piece. Any delays in prisoners being issued with PINs (personal identification numbers, which allow a prisoner to make phone calls and use other digital communication services) and having their contact numbers checked and registered were [...]
On average, there were around 800 daily activity spaces across morning and afternoon sessions. Allocation figures were in the 85%-94% range, often subject to the churn of prisoners entering and exiting the prison. Activity places were allocated in waiting list order. In an improvement on the previous reporting period, activity opportunities were available to more men as a result of strict guidelines about how many roles a prisoner could hold at a time; in principle, opportunities were available to half the prison population by the end of the reporting period. Average off-wing attendance over the year was 48% in education and 77% in industries; the men continued to be affected by late roll calls, inexperienced or unwilling staff, and low staff availability to escort them. Competing factors affecting the men’s ability to participate in purposeful activity included unreliable access to S&Ds, showers and gym, and early starts. Average on-wing attendance was 87%. Whilst acknowledging improvements in the range and number of activity spaces available, the Board remained concerned that too many men had no access to work or education and remained in their cells for too much of the day. Curriculum pathways, a series of linked courses, continued, with men being given education ‘passports’ to take with them if they were transferred elsewhere. In an improvement from the previous reporting period, ESOL (English for speakers of other languages) classes were available to some prisoners on [...]
The work load for the OMU and, particularly, the probation departments increased in July, following the Government announcement of an early release scheme to free up prison capacity. Under the scheme, certain prisoners would be released in September after serving only 40% of their sentence. Probation was under pressure to find accommodation for the men and some were released with no fixed abode. The prison introduced staff incentive schemes to increase productivity over the period. By late July, the OMU had reviewed 790 sentence plans. There were 23 releases in September, with reception reporting it had all been very quiet, with not many more prisoners being released than usual. 27 Key work was rolled out from November, expanding as staff became more experienced and available. It was offered to the most vulnerable prisoners first, including those on ACCTs, CSIPs, IS91s (authority to detain a person who is due for release to be held in prison because their removal from the UK is expected) and self-isolators. By December, 77 prisoners had key workers, the target being 80. The senior probation officer monitored the key work notes and reported that they were good. Social visits took place even on days when the overall regime was curtailed through lack of staff. Family days (which bring together prisoners and their families outside of their statutory entitlement to social visits, usually in more informal settings) were run regularly throughout the year, usually every month. These [...]
5.1 Accommodation, clothing, food Over 90% of prisoners were required to share cells that were constructed in the Victorian era for single occupancy. Unless fundamental changes and upgrades are made to the prison, it will remain inhumane and unfit for purpose. In October, K wing in Trinity, was closed to make way for a substantial refurbishment, including CCTV, fire safety and window replacements. As a result of poor planning, the work did not start until the following March. The Board understood the intention was to undertake similar work on each wing, in turn, across the prison. However, as it could take up to one year per wing, the whole process could take up to eight years to complete. Regime and time out of cell At the beginning of the reporting period, the prison was struggling to deliver a consistent regime that included both daily exercise and S&D (social and domestic) time. From the Board’s observations, curtailments were often last minute and not well communicated. This uncertainty appeared to be a focus of considerable frustration to the men. Starting in August, exercise outside was only allowed on alternate days, in order to provide some certainty to the men and deliver a more consistent regime. From January, improved record-keeping on regime curtailments was introduced. The records showed that the prison delivered the expected core day at least 80% of the time, with the exception of April, when exercise was provided on only 71% of expected days. The number of [...]
Daniel Khalife's escape from HMP Wandsworth exposed staffing-level failures and procedural breakdowns. Operating manager and Director-General changes followed.
1.1
HMP Wandsworth, an inner-city male reception prison serving the
London courts, is one of the oldest and most famous prisons in the
country. It is a large, complex establishment with a transient population
of more than 1,400 adult and young adult prisoners, ranging from those
recently remanded to others serving significant sentences.
1.2
At our previous inspections of HMP Wandsworth in 2018 and 2021, we
made the following judgements about outcomes for prisoners.
Figure 1: HMP Wandsworth healthy prison outcomes in 2018 and 2021
Good
Reasonably
good
Not sufficiently
good
Poor
The decision by the prison service to reduce the number of prisoners held at
Wandsworth by 300, as well as the work of the dynamic and experienced
governor, had stopped this busy local prison from being overwhelmed by its
many challenges.
There were not enough staff to make sure prisoners received even the most
basic regime; for example, they sometimes had to choose between exercise,
ordering from the kiosk and having a shower. Gym sessions were regularly
cancelled and much of the essential resettlement and sentence progression
work was not happening because prison offender managers and PE staff were
deployed on the wings to backfill staff absences. One group of prisoners from
Trinity Unit, who came blinking into the sunlight, told me that it was the first time
they had been outside for more than a week.
The education provider had failed to do enough to engage prisoners or develop
learning opportunities for a population that was desperately bored. The
education block had sat unused since March 2020 and most of the very limited
provision came in the form of work packs. Education staff were barely doing any
face-to-face teaching, so it was not entirely clear how their time was being
spent.
Nearly half of the prisoners were foreign nationals, many of whom come from
eastern Europe. The prison, the education service and, in particular, Home
Office staff, were not doing enough to support this group of prisoners. There
were 37 prisoners over their tariff waiting for a decision on when or if they would
be deported. Some foreign national prisoners had even been told on the day of
their release that they were to continue to be held in the jail. A local charity,
BEST, had stayed on site during the pandemic and were doing invaluable work
in supporting foreign national prisoners while, inexplicably, Home Office staff
had absented themselves from the prison for more than a year. In the
meantime, prison officers and other staff had to deal with the consequences of
their inaction. Even since Home Office staff had returned, working what
appeared to be limited hours, they were not running surgeries on the wing and
prisoners were lucky if they got a phone call.
The infrastructure of the jail needed a lot of work: cells and landings were often
tatty, some of the showers were awful and outside areas were strewn with
rubbish. The inpatient mental health unit, due to be refurbished, was not a fit
place to care for seriously unwell patients. Fortunately, there had also been
some impressive improvements: the legal visits and video conferencing took
place in an excellent facility and the visits hall had been decorated with
prisoner-painted murals.
Communication between the governor through a range of media (including
Radio Wanno) had meant that prisoners were kept well informed about the
pandemic and any developments in the prison. This may have contributed to
the generally calm atmosphere in the jail – which we witnessed – despite the
paucity of the regime. Interactions between officers and prisoners were,
because of staffing shortages, largely transactional. Key work was very limited,
although prisoners recognised that often staff were trying to do their best.
Understandably, the governor had been focused on keeping the day-to-day
functions of the prison going as he dealt with the extensive list of challenges
that we highlight in this report. He now has the opportunity, with an improving
.jpg)
Daniel Khalife2001 · soldier
Boris Becker1967 · tennis player.jpg)
Julian Assange1971 · Internet activist
Oscar Wilde1854–1900 · poet
Ronnie Biggs1929–2013 · carpenter