11 October 2023 , 08:03
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The prison from which Daniel Khalife allegedly fled has been branded "unsafe and inhumane" in a scathing report today.
The watchdog warned HMP Wandsworth has seen "no real progress" in the past year and reflects "the failures of the prison system as a whole". Its Independent Monitoring Board (IMB) wrote the report before Khalife's alleged escape last month, but it was released today.
A Prison Service spokesperson said it had taken "decisive action" to address the "serious issues" raised. The IMB report covers the year from 1 June 2022 to 31 May 2023.
The report found that years of underinvestment in the site, facilities and staff at the prison had led to an unsafe environment where "violence levels continue to rise". The report stated that during the past year, staff shortages had undermined the prison's ability to function effectively, with the number of available officers rarely reaching above 50 per cent.
It reported that assaults had risen by more than 20 per cent in all areas, including assaults on staff. Of the 524 assaults on prisoners by prisoners, 301 were referred to the police. The IMB warned that conditions at the Category B prison "remained inhumane", with the Victorian buildings continuing to deteriorate.
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Overcrowding was also raised as a concern by the monitoring board, with most men sharing cells designed for single occupancy. In two wings of the prison, there were only 11 shower stalls for 265 men, the board noted.
Tim Aikens, IMB chair at HMP Wandsworth, 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."
Elisabeth Davies, the national IMB chair, told BBC Radio 4 that the issues at Wandsworth are reflective more widely of the issues facing Victorian-era prisons. She said: "None of these issues are unique to Wandsworth and none of these issues are new."
A spokesperson for HM Prison Service said it had increased frontline staffing at the prison by almost a quarter in the past six years. They said the government was spending more than £8m on new CCTV for the prison, "tougher" gate security and specialist staff with dogs. They added new windows had been installed and roofs repaired.
Khalife has appeared at the Old Bailey, charged with escaping custody. He will be tried at Woolwich Crown Court in London on November 13.