IMB Annual Reports
768 annual reports from Independent Monitoring Boards covering 171 establishments. IMBs provide independent oversight of prisons, immigration removal centres, and secure training centres. Source: imb.org.uk.
768
Reports
171
Establishments
757
With Key Concerns
Establishment Type
Reports by Year
Key Findings
99% of IMB reports flag key concerns.
Independent monitors cover 171 establishments
across prisons, immigration removal centres and secure training centres.
Wandsworth
PRISON
Concerns
Self-harm: 726
Assaults: 360
Staff assaults: 354
HMP Wandsworth has shown encouraging recovery under new leadership, with notable improvements in safety metrics like reduced assaults and self-harm incidents. However, the prison continues to face significant challenges including unacceptable staff absence levels, inhumane living conditions with widespread cell sharing, and persistent issues with its healthcare infrastructure, particularly the inadequacy of mental health units and the functional shortcomings of the new Nightingale unit. Regime delivery remains inconsistent due to staff shortages, frequently limiting prisoners' time out of cell and access to purposeful activity.
Key concerns identified
- Staff absence and inexperience remain unacceptable, hindering regime delivery and care.
- Despite improvements, the prison is not safe, with violence levels still too high and basic operational errors noted.
- Living conditions are inhumane due to cell sharing, failing infrastructure, inadequate heating/hot water, and vermin/mould issues.
- The new healthcare unit has design faults and no residential capacity, leaving inadequate mental health units in use and causing long waiting times for clinics.
- Inadequate support for foreign national prisoners, who comprise nearly half the population, persists.
- Prisoners are frequently denied sufficient time out of cells, impacting access to exercise, showers, education, and other activities.
- Significant issues with lost or mislaid prisoner property continue to cause distress.
- Despite improvements, the prison is not safe, with violence levels still too high and basic operational errors noted.
- Living conditions are inhumane due to cell sharing, failing infrastructure, inadequate heating/hot water, and vermin/mould issues.
- The new healthcare unit has design faults and no residential capacity, leaving inadequate mental health units in use and causing long waiting times for clinics.
- Inadequate support for foreign national prisoners, who comprise nearly half the population, persists.
- Prisoners are frequently denied sufficient time out of cells, impacting access to exercise, showers, education, and other activities.
- Significant issues with lost or mislaid prisoner property continue to cause distress.
Wandsworth
PRISON
Concerns
Self-harm: 998
Assaults: 442
Staff assaults: 518
Wandsworth Prison experienced a critical reporting period marked by significant safety and humanitarian failures, culminating in an Urgent Notification from HMIP. Chronic understaffing, decaying infrastructure, and insufficient external support severely undermined the prison's ability to operate safely and humanely. Overcrowding led to inhumane living conditions, with basic regime delivery frequently failing and key services like the new healthcare centre remaining unused.
Key concerns identified
- Chronic and severe understaffing with high inexperience levels, significantly undermining prison function and regime delivery.
- Unsafe environment characterized by high deaths in custody (10, with 6 self-inflicted), increased self-harm, and easy access to illicit items including drugs and weapons.
- Inhumane living conditions due to severe overcrowding (over 1,200 prisoners sharing single cells), squalid, poorly maintained cells, and frequent shortages of basic kit, compounded by intermittent hot water and heating.
- The new multi-million-pound healthcare centre remaining unused for over two years, while existing healthcare units (Addison and Jones wards) are unfit for purpose and undersized.
- The termination of the effective Remand Project, removing crucial support for remand prisoners.
- Inadequate support for foreign nationals, who constitute almost 50% of the population, following the termination of the BEST contract.
- Unsafe environment characterized by high deaths in custody (10, with 6 self-inflicted), increased self-harm, and easy access to illicit items including drugs and weapons.
- Inhumane living conditions due to severe overcrowding (over 1,200 prisoners sharing single cells), squalid, poorly maintained cells, and frequent shortages of basic kit, compounded by intermittent hot water and heating.
- The new multi-million-pound healthcare centre remaining unused for over two years, while existing healthcare units (Addison and Jones wards) are unfit for purpose and undersized.
- The termination of the effective Remand Project, removing crucial support for remand prisoners.
- Inadequate support for foreign nationals, who constitute almost 50% of the population, following the termination of the BEST contract.
Wandsworth
PRISON
Concerns
Self-harm: 886
Assaults: 524
Staff assaults: 524
HMP Wandsworth faced severe challenges in the reporting year, marked by chronic staff shortages leading to a limited and inconsistent regime. The prison recorded significant increases in assaults, self-harm, and ACCT cases, underscoring serious safety concerns exacerbated by easy access to contraband. Inhumane living conditions, including overcrowding, poor heating, and inadequate healthcare facilities (with a new centre remaining unopened), persisted, while vital services like library access and resettlement support were also hampered by understaffing.
Key concerns identified
- Chronic staff shortages severely undermine the prison's ability to function and deliver a consistent regime, with unavailability rates frequently exceeding 50%.
- The prison is unsafe, experiencing significant increases in prisoner-on-prisoner (28%) and prisoner-on-staff (21%) assaults, a 49% rise in use of force, and a 29% increase in ACCT cases.
- Inhumane and overcrowded living conditions persist, with most men sharing single cells, frequent lack of heating and hot water, and grossly inadequate shower facilities.
- The new multi-million pound healthcare centre remains unopened over a year past its scheduled date, while existing vulnerable units are unhygienic and dangerous.
- Critical medications are frequently not administered, posing serious risks to prisoner health.
- Remand prisoners continue to receive no housing support, increasing their vulnerability and risk of reoffending on release.
- The prison is unsafe, experiencing significant increases in prisoner-on-prisoner (28%) and prisoner-on-staff (21%) assaults, a 49% rise in use of force, and a 29% increase in ACCT cases.
- Inhumane and overcrowded living conditions persist, with most men sharing single cells, frequent lack of heating and hot water, and grossly inadequate shower facilities.
- The new multi-million pound healthcare centre remains unopened over a year past its scheduled date, while existing vulnerable units are unhygienic and dangerous.
- Critical medications are frequently not administered, posing serious risks to prisoner health.
- Remand prisoners continue to receive no housing support, increasing their vulnerability and risk of reoffending on release.
Wandsworth
PRISON
Concerns
Self-harm: 771
Assaults: 390
Staff assaults: 376
HMP Wandsworth, a severely overcrowded reception prison holding 1,385 prisoners against a CNA of 961, faced significant challenges during the reporting period. Critical staff shortages severely impacted regime delivery and contributed to the prison being deemed unsafe due to rising violence and self-harm. Living conditions in the dilapidated Victorian buildings remained inhumane, while healthcare services suffered from long waiting times and poor inpatient facilities, and resettlement support for the majority remand population was inadequate.
Key concerns identified
- The prison has significant staffing problems which were adversely affecting the regime.
- HMP Wandsworth continues to be severely overcrowded, leading to inhumane conditions.
- The prison was not safe, with a rising level of violence, a view that has not changed from the previous year.
- The fabric of the prisoner accommodation was unacceptable, with very little refurbishment carried out to address chronic issues.
- The Jones and Addison inpatient units had poor conditions and were deemed 'not a fit place to care for seriously unwell patients'.
- Housing services are only offered to sentenced prisoners, leaving over 70% of the remand population without this vital support.
- HMP Wandsworth continues to be severely overcrowded, leading to inhumane conditions.
- The prison was not safe, with a rising level of violence, a view that has not changed from the previous year.
- The fabric of the prisoner accommodation was unacceptable, with very little refurbishment carried out to address chronic issues.
- The Jones and Addison inpatient units had poor conditions and were deemed 'not a fit place to care for seriously unwell patients'.
- Housing services are only offered to sentenced prisoners, leaving over 70% of the remand population without this vital support.
Wandsworth
PRISON
Concerns
Self-harm: 487
Assaults: 326
Staff assaults: 274
HMP Wandsworth operated under severe COVID-19 restrictions for most of the year, leading to prisoners spending up to 23.5 hours a day in cramped cells. The prison remained highly overcrowded and faced significant safety challenges from violence and widespread drug availability. Persistent concerns include the inhumane state of the Victorian buildings, inadequate healthcare facilities, rising mental health needs, and the absence of Home Office immigration support.
Key concerns identified
- The prison remains severely overcrowded with 170-year-old residential buildings deemed unfit for purpose, suffering from frequent faults and lack of privacy.
- High levels of violence (prisoner-on-officer and prisoner-on-prisoner assaults) and widespread drug availability contribute to an unsafe environment.
- Healthcare provision is inadequate, with the Jones and Addison units being unsuitable and limited, and the new facility failing to include residential cells.
- Mental health services are overwhelmed by increased referrals, and there are long delays in transfers to secure psychiatric accommodation.
- The absence of Home Office immigration enforcement officers leaves foreign nationals without adequate support, contributing to stress and self-harm.
- Recurrent shortages of essential kit and the lack of privacy curtains in shared cells remain unsatisfactory.
- High levels of violence (prisoner-on-officer and prisoner-on-prisoner assaults) and widespread drug availability contribute to an unsafe environment.
- Healthcare provision is inadequate, with the Jones and Addison units being unsuitable and limited, and the new facility failing to include residential cells.
- Mental health services are overwhelmed by increased referrals, and there are long delays in transfers to secure psychiatric accommodation.
- The absence of Home Office immigration enforcement officers leaves foreign nationals without adequate support, contributing to stress and self-harm.
- Recurrent shortages of essential kit and the lack of privacy curtains in shared cells remain unsatisfactory.
Wandsworth
PRISON
Concerns
Self-harm: 774
Assaults: 352
Staff assaults: 270
HMP Wandsworth, a Category B local prison, reported significant challenges during a year heavily impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, including a rapid lockdown response. The Board found the prison's overcrowded, 169-year-old Victorian buildings created inhumane living conditions for prisoners. Key concerns included high levels of violence and self-harm, poor resettlement outcomes, and persistent delays in mental health transfers, with the Addison unit deemed unfit for purpose.
Key concerns identified
- The inhumane living conditions, stemming from overcrowding and the dilapidated 169-year-old Victorian buildings.
- High levels of violence (prisoner-on-prisoner and prisoner-on-staff assaults) and self-harm incidents.
- The poor quality and effectiveness of resettlement provision, resulting in very low rates of prisoners securing employment, training, or housing upon release.
- Persistent, long-standing delays in transferring mentally ill prisoners to secure psychiatric accommodation.
- The unsuitability and inadequacy of the 12-bed Addison mental health unit, compounded by insufficient adapted cells for wheelchair users.
- Unreliable CCTV system and significant issues with missing prisoner property.
- High levels of violence (prisoner-on-prisoner and prisoner-on-staff assaults) and self-harm incidents.
- The poor quality and effectiveness of resettlement provision, resulting in very low rates of prisoners securing employment, training, or housing upon release.
- Persistent, long-standing delays in transferring mentally ill prisoners to secure psychiatric accommodation.
- The unsuitability and inadequacy of the 12-bed Addison mental health unit, compounded by insufficient adapted cells for wheelchair users.
- Unreliable CCTV system and significant issues with missing prisoner property.