Prisons inspector calls for 'urgent' changes at Wormwood Scrubs » Communities » 24dash.com

The prisons inspector today called for "urgent" changes at one of the country's best-known jails.

Anne Owers found conditions at Wormwood Scrubs in west London had deteriorated since her last inspection.

Her report revealed that one in five prisoners given mandatory drugs tests failed them.

Illegal drugs led to "gang activity" and "encouraged intimidation", she found.

The prison was at the centre of a scandal over abuse of inmates by guards.

But Ms Owers said: "This inspection confirmed that there was no evidence of an abusive or negative staff culture. However, disappointingly, it also found that progress had been halted and, indeed, that there had been an appreciable drift in all our key areas - safety, respect, purposeful activity and resettlement.

"This is a direction of travel that needs urgently to be reversed."

The prison holds around 1,200 prisoners including nearly 500 foreign nationals.

Mark Leech, editor of the Prisoner's Handbook, said the 300 new prisoners arriving every month put Wormwood Scrubs under "enormous pressure".

"Those numbers create pressures that are impossible to deal with properly.

"We have neither the space nor the staff to cope with such numbers and it's inevitable that prisons like Wormwood Scrubs will start to fail in such circumstances.

"The solution is for the Government to now open temporary cellular accommodation in disused Army camps."

Liberal Democrat justice spokesman David Howarth said: "This report is a sad reflection of the Government's prison policy.

"Unfortunately the situation it describes is the norm rather than the exception.

"It is amazing that ministers are ploughing ahead with their absurd plans for Titan prisons when the jails we already have are failing to meet acceptable standards.

"The Government should focus on measures that will actually reduce the prison population, such as removing prisoners with mental health and drug problems, and greater use of restorative justice."

Phil Wheatley, director-general of the National Offender Management Service, said he was pleased the inspection found no evidence of an abusive staff culture at the prison.

"It is disappointing that there has been a drift in progress in certain areas though, as the Chief Inspector points out this is in the context of continuous operational pressure," he said.

"The inspection has refocused the Governor and staff at Wormwood Scrubs on driving forward improvements and there has already been success in tackling illegal drug use and progress in implementing the recommendations made by the Inspectorate, specifically in relation to new arrivals and the establishment of a formal personal officer scheme."