HMP Wandsworth is a 'place for ruining human lives', says former inmate

A former inmate of HMP Wandsworth has said the jail is a place for “ruining human lives”.

David Shipley, who spent time at the Category B prison in south west London between 2020 and 2021, said inmates spend 22 hours or more laying on their bunks, staring at the wall or watching daytime TV.

He said many people often resort to taking drugs or drinking because “there is nothing else to do”.

Mr Shipley’s comments come after a report found “81 points of failure” at HMP Wandsworth, in the wake of an alleged prisoner escape.

Former soldier Daniel Abed Khalife is accused of breaking out of the jail on 6 September last year, after allegedly using bedsheets to strap himself under a food truck.

He was arrested three days later and has pleaded not guilty to escaping from lawful custody. He is due to stand trial in October.

The report, by HMP Wandsworth’s Independent Monitoring Board (IMB), identified a raft of security failings including “antiquated” CCTV cameras that had not worked for over a year and contraband being “alarmingly easy” for prisoners to get hold of.

“It does just seem to get worse and worse and worse,” Mr Shipley said. “And for me, that’s the tragic thing about this.”

“This place has been chewing up people for years and years and years. It does nothing good. It doesn’t do anything to help people be less likely to re-offend. It does a huge amount of harm.

“Wandsworth is just a place for ruining human lives and potential.”

As a result of the report, the IMB called for HMP Wandsworth to be put into emergency measures over its “deeply concerning” findings.

It described the jail as a “failing prison” which was “constrained by staff absence and hindered by underfunding and lack of support from the prison service”.

IMB chairman Matthew Andrews said: “For HMP Wandsworth and the men whose treatment we monitor, this year has been as bad as any in our memory and, by many measures, worse.

“The recently released report from His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons was highly critical but said little that surprised us.

“Many of the same issues had been raised in previous IMB annual reports and ignored by the Ministry of Justice.”

Analysis: IMB report a damning assessment of Wandsworth’s worst year in memory

By Mollie Malone, home news correspondent

This isn’t the first damning assessment of the state of Wandsworth prison. There have been several this year alone. And it almost certainly won’t be the last.

Its problems are well documented: dangerous overcrowding, high levels of violence and self-harm, security issues, and staff inexperience – with some often unable to account for the whereabouts of offenders. The list really does go on and on.

Today’s IMB audit report serves as yet another reminder of quite how bad it is. In fact, it’s been dubbed as Wandsworth’s worst year in memory.

In May, the chief inspector of prisons issued an “urgent notification” for the prison following an unannounced inspection. This is effectively putting it into special measures.

That used to be rare. But as the state of the prison system across England and Wales continues to deteriorate, it’s becoming more common.

What followed earlier this month was a promise of £100m for the prison to make improvements.

There is also a new governor in place, but the scale of the job is almighty. And it’s not even as if ministers new or old have the answers either.

What’s the alternative? Shut it down? Start from scratch? Not a chance. More than 80% of prisoners at Wandsworth are now sharing cramped cells designed for one.

Shutting it would lose 1,500 prison spaces at a time when the service is quite literally scrimping – with emergency measures announced earlier this week to use police custody suites to hold offenders because of chronic overcrowding after recent riot sentencing.

High-profile issues – the alleged escape of Daniel Khalife last summer for example – almost help the prison’s case insofar as the government knows how seriously they need to take it.

A recent promise of £100m is a start and will be welcomed. But there really is such a long way to go.

Khalife’s alleged escape also prompted multiple reviews and actions, including “previously unavailable funding” being made available.

The report noted a new CCTV system installed in May this year “immediately led to an increase in the number of illegal passes detected”.

It comes after an inspection of HMP Wandsworth in May revealed “chaos” and “appalling conditions”, stemming from “poor leadership at every level”.

The prison was also the focus of a police investigation into a prison officer filmed having sex with an inmate; Linda De Sousa Abreu, 30, pleaded guilty to misconduct in a public office at the end of July.

The government also confirmed a £100m funding package over five years, and additional staff, to deal with HMP Wandsworth, which it calls “one of the most troubled prisons in the country”.

A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said after the IMB’s annual report: “The new government inherited a justice system in crisis and has been forced to take action and get a grip of the situation across the prison estate, so we can lock up dangerous offenders, protect the public and make prisons safer for hard-working staff.

“Earlier this month, the new Lord Chancellor announced that the Prison Service is deploying extra specialist staff and will redirect £100m to be spent over five years at HMP Wandsworth to ensure immediate action is taken to improve conditions.”