State of ‘escape’ prison laid bare as inmates secretly brew alcohol in cells

Conditions at HMP Wandsworth were described as ‘unacceptable’ and ‘inhumane’

Inmates at a south-west London prison at the centre of a recent escape scandal succeeded in illegally brewing 1,900 litres of alcohol with only 50 per cent of staff regularly on-duty to keep watch.

Inspections between June 2022 and May 2023 at the “inhumane” HMP Wandsworth found prisoners are forced to wait days for showers and regular exercise, while the majority of men are forced to share single cells with broken furniture and inadequate heating.

A report by the Independent Monitoring Boards found that staff were struggling to provide even a limited regime, while the Category B prison had witnessed a 25 per cent increase in the number of assaults, with 10 each week recorded against staff.

Daniel Khalife is charged with escaping from custody at Wandsworth Prison (Metropolitan Police/PA) (PA Media)

Meanwhile, two wings only had 11 shower stalls available for 265 men, who were only provided with a one-hour time slot to queue and make use of the wash facilities.

HMP Wandsworth recently attracted attention after a terror suspect allegedly escaped under a delivery van, causing a six-day national manhunt. It later emerged that 80 officers had not attended their shift on the day Daniel Khalife absconded, with the government since launching an independent investigation.

Other key findings in the report include:

• Prisoner on staff assaults rose by 21 per cent, while incidents of self-harm rose by 11 per cent, with four deaths reported in custody. Three of these were self-inflicted and are currently being investigated by the Prison and Probation Ombudsman. 
• The prison repeatedly had no access to hot water or heating during the winter months, with regular flooding of cells disrupting entire wings. 
• A new multi-million pound healthcare centre remains unused, despite having a scheduled opening date of October 2021. 
• A vulnerable young prisoner with mental health issues spent over 550 days in the separation unit before finally being transferred to Broadmoor Hospital, which the Board described as “inhumane and unacceptable”. 

As well as illegally brewed alcohol being confiscated from inmates, contraband continued to pose a problem with over 330 mobile phones and 210 drug stashes removed.

The Victorian-era building is chronically overcrowded and suffers a high staff turnover (PA)

Due to the unavailability of staff, the prison is “severely limited” in preventing the influx of illicit items, with drones and “throw overs” listed as the main means of access. The overall CCTV system has deteriorated, meaning that security is solely dependent on officers’ observations.

The use of force used against inmates had also increased by 49 per cent, with body-worn cameras used to capture only 73 per cent of incidents.

High staff turnover meant that inexperienced staff with minimal training were forced to work without mentoring, while library, gym and inductions were cancelled for inmates due to lack of staff.

Detailing his eight month experience being held on remand at the prison, one inmate told the Board there were 87 days without hot water, 89 days without being allowed outside and only 5 library visits when it should have been one per week.

Smashed lavatory pans causes frequent flooding and inmates struggle to gain access to showers (Getty Images)

Chronic overcrowding was also listed as a serious problem at the Victorian-era building, with Wandsworth prison “yet to see the benefit” of a £3.8billion investment to deliver 20,000 new uncrowded prison places.

Processing immigrants and asylum seekers was also found to be taking too long, with over half of the 228 men being held under immigration powers still awaiting their fate for more than 300 days.

Describing the shower situation on G and H wings as “appalling, unhygienic and unacceptable”, the Board said that daily showers were not an option due to a lack of stalls.

Inmates were only provided with one-hour to queue, with officers remarking that men missed their slot if they did not queue, but by queuing they missed the opportunity to do anything else during their social hour.

Violence had also increased in the prison, with over 10 incidents against staff recorded each week (Sky News)

Smashed lavatory pans and sinks led to frequent flooding, while broken windows contributed to the vermin problem as pigeons and rodents continued to pose a serious health risk to the establishment.

Despite this, the food was perceived as “varied and tasty” with the Board receiving few complaints, while an improved distribution system had been introduced in May.

Due to staff shortages, there was a three-month delay in returning valuables and a backlog in distributing parcel post and items sent by family members. Poor communication regarding property led to “considerable and avoidable stress and frustration” amongst both families and inmates.

“Delivering a full, safe regime in a prison with under half its staff present is virtually impossible” the report read. “The Board wished to emphasise its support for the management team who were under extreme pressure to deliver against generally unrealistic HMPPS targets without sufficient staff.

“However the regime remains unacceptable and will continue to do so until the prison reaches its planned level of staff availability.”

IMB Chair, Tim Aikens, said: “Recent events at Wandsworth have demonstrated the shortcomings of the prison system that the IMB has been highlighting repeatedly for many years.

“Prisoners are being failed and most have a severely reduced chance of rehabilitation upon release. We are told there is significant investment in the prison system, but we see little evidence of this in Wandsworth.”