21 Jan 2025
Winchester: A truly squalid, overcrowded Victorian jail
The Howard League for Penal Reform has responded to HM Inspectorate of Prisons’ report on Winchester prison, published today (Tuesday 21 January).
Inspectors visited the prison, in Hampshire, in October 2024 and found drug use, debt, rising violence, and a lack of purposeful activity with men locked in their cells for up to 22 hours each day.
Conditions were so bad that inspectors invoked an urgent notification, giving the Secretary of State for Justice 28 days to respond with an action plan for improvement.
Self-harm at Winchester was found to be among the highest in the prison estate, and 57% of people held in the prison felt unsafe at some point.
The prison was found to have dilapidated conditions, including damp and mould so bad that inspectors questioned whether cells were fit for habitation.
Security was seriously compromised, with more than a third of CCTV cameras broken and the building damaged to the extent that one prisoner was able to remove his own cell door. Due to inadequate security, 47% of prisoners responding to a survey said it was easy to get illicit drugs, while 41% had tested positive in random drug testing.
At the time of the inspection, Winchester had room to accommodate 448 men in safe and decent conditions – but it was actually holding 625.
Andrea Coomber KC (Hon.), Chief Executive of the Howard League for Penal Reform, said: “This is one of the worst reports on a prison that I have ever read, and the photographs of filthy toilets, broken windows and mouldy walls tell their own story. A truly squalid, overcrowded Victorian jail – even to the point that some cells do not have electricity.
“Winchester received an awful inspection report in 2022, but things have gone from bad to worse. This raises important questions about the leadership of the prison, both locally and nationally, and about the government’s plans to build more jails when the ones we have are failing so miserably.”
Notes to editors
- The Howard League for Penal Reform is the oldest penal reform charity in the world. It is a national charity working for less crime, safer communities and fewer people in prison.
- The inspection report for Winchester prison will be available on the HM Inspectorate of Prisons website at: https://hmiprisons.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/our-reports/
Contact
Noor Khan
Press and Public Affairs Officer
Tel: +44 (0)20 7241 7873
Email: [email protected]
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