Prison
Cat B, C, YOI, local
Key Concerns Identified
Positive Findings
Pentonville
IMB Annual Report 2021 · Published 14 September 2021
During a reporting year dominated by the Covid-19 pandemic, Pentonville successfully avoided a widespread deadly outbreak through stringent measures, though two prisoners sadly died. However, the Board found that the highly restricted regime led to inhumane conditions, with prisoners confined to cells for extended periods, impacting mental health and resettlement progression. Key concerns remain around overcrowding, inadequate facilities, the safety of vulnerable prisoners, and persistent violence and drug issues, with limited progress on ACCT quality and disproportionality in disciplinary actions.
Positive Findings
The IMB believes that the management team could not have safely provided the men with a better regime given the infection risks, the staffing numbers, the infrastructure, and the number of prisoners at Pentonville. Data collection and analysis around use of force and adjudications have improved, and Equalities is now receiving the attention that it deserves. Pentonville’s healthcare and prison staff worked well together to avoid a widespread and deadly Covid-19 outbreak. The homelessness prevention taskforce and increased drug rehabilitation places were positive initiatives. Staff and prisoners showed resilience and maintained generally good relationships despite the challenging year. The chaplaincy team maintained a continuous physical presence and provided support.
Key Concerns
Overcrowding
Overcrowding and inhumane conditions due to cell sharing, leading to lack of privacy and decency; the operational capacity should be reduced further to allow for single occupancy of the cells.
Estate/Conditions
Repeated
Inadequate and unhygienic facilities, including appalling shower rooms, insufficient showers, and a critical heating failure that left men without heating or hot water for extended periods.
Mental Health
Significantly reduced mental health provision, shifting from therapeutic care to basic monitoring, with group sessions not permitted during lockdown.
Safety
Repeated
Safety of vulnerable prisoners (VPs), particularly the up to 18 VPs housed outside the self-contained unit, who frequently complained about abuse, threats, being spat at, and assault.
Safety
Repeated
Persistent issues with violence, including high levels of young adult violence.
Substance Misuse
Repeated
Persistent issues with drugs, including inadequate drug dog cover, and the absence of mandatory drug testing (MDT) during the reporting period.
Safety
Backlog in Prisons and Probation Ombudsman (PPO) reports and inquests for deaths, meaning Pentonville is unable to act on independent recommendations and potentially delaying improved outcomes for vulnerable prisoners.
Safety
Repeated
Variable quality of ACCT documents, an issue not effectively resolved since HMIP's February 2020 visit, and the Challenge, Support and Intervention Plan (CSIP) not being fully embedded with all staff.
Complaints/Property
Lack of timeliness of internal prison communication regarding prisoners’ sentence management, generating anxiety among prisoners.
Other
Repeated
Persistent issues with prisoners' property, including delays in searching, issuing, and losses on transfer, causing distress.
Equality/Diversity
Disproportionate representation of 18-24-year-olds, Muslim, Black, and mixed ethnicity prisoners in use of force incidents and adjudications.
Regime/Time Out of Cell
Limited access to work, education, and other group activities, severely compromising prisoners' progression towards successful resettlement.
Safety
Repeated
Body worn video cameras (BWVCs) are still not being activated often enough during incidents, despite the Governor reinforcing its importance.
Regime/Time Out of Cell
Repeated
Work opportunities for vulnerable prisoners (VPs) have been historically poor, and limited during lockdown, leading to complaints of not having enough to do.
Regime/Time Out of Cell
Repeated
The new Incentives and Earned Privileges (IEP) policy has not been implemented due to Covid-19, and the basic level was used disproportionately and contrary to national guidance for much of the year.
Estate/Conditions
Repeated
Vermin is still an issue at Pentonville despite a three-month program of eradication.
Other
Persistent shortage of prisoner kit and clothing, with the replacement system not working, particularly impacting those without external support.
Food/Catering
Repeated
Numerous complaints regarding the quality and quantity of prisoners' food, exacerbated by serving methods during lockdown.
Segregation
Repeated
The care and separation unit (CSU) remains very tired and in urgent need of further major renovations, with cells often out of use due to damage, and radios/distraction packs not always available.
Substance Misuse
Lax supervision of medication queues by prison officers for much of the reporting year led to opiate substitutes becoming a tradeable substance, though supervision improved towards year-end.
Board Commentary
Staffing
The year was extremely challenging for staff, with sickness among Serco staff and staff absences impacting key work sessions. While there was never a shortfall of healthcare staff, GP availability in reception was limited. Assaults on staff increased in the latter part of the year, and staff struggled to ensure the safety of vulnerable prisoners. However, relationships between staff and prisoners were generally good, and the Governor committed to improving staff skills. Healthcare staffing was 70% permanent, with two permanent GPs and a lead GP hired towards year-end.
Healthcare
Pentonville’s healthcare, primarily delivered by Practice Plus Group, effectively coordinated with prison management to prevent a sustained and deadly Covid-19 outbreak, with no staff shortfalls. However, mental health provision was dramatically reduced, shifting from therapeutic care to basic monitoring due to the pandemic. Clinic waiting rooms became problematic due to social distancing, and GP clinic numbers decreased. Waiting times were comparable to the community, but GP availability in reception was delayed. Concerns included 15-20% DNA rates for appointments and lax supervision of medication queues earlier in the year. Two prisoners sadly died from Covid-19 during the reporting year.
Regime & Daily Life
Pentonville experienced extensive lockdowns, with many prisoners confined to cells for up to 23 hours daily, leading to significant boredom, isolation, and anxiety. New arrivals faced challenging quarantine conditions. Essential workshops continued with limited workers, but all group activities, including education and therapy, ceased. Activity packs, in-cell phones, and digital visits provided some solace, but visits resumed with low take-up. The Board considers the confinement of two men to small, poorly equipped cells inhumane and advocates for single occupancy. Issues persist with inadequate showers, a critical heating failure, vermin, and a persistent shortage of clothing and complaints about food quality.
Applications to the IMB
Prisoners can apply to their IMB about any aspect of their treatment. This table shows application counts by category.
| Category | Current | Previous | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Accommodation (including transfers) | 45 | 38 | |
| Adjudications | 32 | 31 | |
| Assaults | 12 | 14 | |
| Bullying | 20 | 24 | |
| Discrimination/Equality | 4 | 1 | |
| Education/Training/Work | 12 | 30 | |
| Food | 20 | 16 | |
| Healthcare | 141 | 187 | |
| Legal | 30 | 32 | |
| Money/Pay | 52 | 36 | |
| Offender Management (OMU) | 28 | 30 | |
| Other | 67 | 61 | |
| Property | 60 | 50 | |
| Release/Transfer | 27 | 29 | |
| Remand Status | 3 | 5 | |
| Segregation | 28 | 22 | |
| Staff Conduct | 46 | 38 | |
| Visits/Telephones | 24 | 23 | |
| Welfare | 28 | 32 |
Recommendations (13)
Ministry of Justice: 3
HMPPS: 4
Governor / Director: 6
3 repeated
Recommendation 1
Will you take steps to reduce the population in Pentonville?
Ministry of Justice
Overcrowding
Recommendation 2
Will you invest in the fabric of the prison to provide a safe, decent and rehabilitative environment?
Ministry of Justice
Estate
Recommendation 3
Will the investment in technology made during lockdown be sustained and developed going forward to give prisoners more technology for personal use? For example, more prisoner laptops for education, more video links for those having legal visits, and biometric kiosks on wings.
Ministry of Justice
Technology, Regime
Recommendation 4
Will the Prison Service fund and deliver more essential refurbishment for decency, such as toilets and showers?
HMPPS
Estate
Recommendation 5
In the case of further lockdowns, will the Prison Service ensure that prisoners have better access to the education staff than during this past year?
HMPPS
Education, Regime
Recommendation 6
Will the Prison Service increase the capacity of offending behaviour programmes at Pentonville, so that prisoners can benefit from these programmes without needing to transfer to another prison?
HMPPS
Rehabilitation
Recommendation 7
Will the Prison Service commit to increasing the devolution of decision-making powers to local Governors?
HMPPS
Governance
Recommendation 8
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
What will you do to improve the quality of assessment, care in custody and teamwork (ACCT) documents?
Governor / Director
Safety
Recommendation 9
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
Will you refresh the local incentives and earned privileges (IEP) policy to give: (i) better recognition to positive behaviour and (ii) enhanced prisoners meaningful privileges that will incentivise sustained good behaviour?
Governor / Director
Regime
Response
The prison is waiting for further guidance from HMPPS on the reintroduction of the policy. The current position continues with minimal numbers of residents on basic regime and although there is no guidance on when incentives will be reintroduced, it is understood that following the recent move into level 3 and planning for levels 2 and 1, a timeframe for delivery of the new policy will be re-established.
Recommendation 10
Will you commit to developing a record of achievement for prisoners that they can use in job applications upon release?
Governor / Director
Resettlement
Recommendation 11
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
Will you ensure that each equalities meeting is attended by yourself or your deputy, and commit to updating and progressing the equalities action plan?
Governor / Director
Equality
Recommendation 12
Will you commit to improving the analysis and action driven by the equalities data that is being collected, including discrimination incident reporting forms (DIRFs)?
Governor / Director
Equality
Recommendation 13
Will you urgently address the lack of timeliness of internal prison communication regarding prisoners’ sentence management, which generates a lot of anxiety among the prisoners?
Governor / Director
Administration, Complaints
Other IMB Reports for Pentonville
HMIP Inspections
Recent inspections by HM Inspectorate of Prisons for this establishment.
16 Mar 2026
IRP
16 Jul 2025
Urgent Notification
30 Jun 2025
Unannounced
11 Apr 2023
IRP
11 Jul 2022
Unannounced
PPO Fatal Incidents
Prisons and Probation Ombudsman fatal incident investigations for this establishment.
Prevention of Future Deaths Reports
Coroner PFD reports issued to this establishment.