Many prisoners at Pentonville illegally imprisoned beyond their release date in chaotic, unsafe conditions

The Chief Inspector of Prisons, Charlie Taylor, has issued an Urgent Notification to the Secretary of State for Justice after an inspection of Pentonville uncovered a prison in a state of disarray, where many prisoners were being detained unlawfully after their release date in appalling conditions, with wholly inadequate support.

Significant backlogs in sentence calculations meant some prisoners were being released early in error and, shockingly, many more were held after they should have been released. The prison was chaotic, with staff often unaware of who prisoners were or where they were located. This created deeply unsafe conditions, particularly for men who had just arrived at the jail, were at their most vulnerable and should have been helped to settle in. Forty-four per cent of prisoners surveyed said they felt unsafe at the time of the inspection, the highest figure recorded in a reception prison in recent times.

There was a widespread lack of care for prisoners at imminent risk of self-harm. Inspectors found staff, who were supposed to be looking after those prisoners who required constant supervision, reading books, asleep and in one case completely absent. Although there had been three suicides this year, there had been little learning from deficiencies identified by the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman.

Prisoners lived in squalid conditions. Cells were dirty and missing essentials such as bedding, furniture and pillows, and ineffective allocation to activities meant most men spent more than 22 hours a day locked up with nothing to do. Levels of violence were high, much of it driven by the easy availability of drugs in the jail. Inspectors observed some highly committed members of staff, but others seemed to have given up, were failing to challenge poor behaviour and were unwilling to help prisoners.

Chief Inspector Charlie Taylor said:

“Pentonville is an overcrowded, inner-city, Victorian prison with a record of poor performance over many years. Too many of its staff have become disillusioned about the possibility of improvement or their capacity to affect change. Yet many of its shocking failures are firmly within the control of leaders. The governor will need significant support and investment from HM Prison and Probation Service to strengthen his senior leadership team, re-focus on the basics and put in place effective oversight and assurance systems to turn this failing prison around.”