Legal News

HM Chief Inspector of Prisons Nick Hardwick has said that if standards at Pentonville prison in London cannot be improved, the jail should be closed.

HMP Pentonville is situated in north London and was built in the mid-19th century.

It was intended to house around 913 prisoners, but is currently 35% over capacity. The recent report revealed prisoners at HMP Pentonville were living in an overcrowded, rat- and cockroach-infested jail.

Drug use was also found to be rife at HMP Pentonville – and many of the prisoners are living in a climate of fear, the report said. Nearly one in six prisoners at Pentonville is being treated for addiction to opiates like heroin, methadone or painkillers.

HMP Pentonville was also found to have an insufficient number of prison guards – and there was also a high rate of absenteeism and sick leave among staff.

The report also found that 11% of inmates at HMP Pentonville were admitted suffering from malnutrition.

Mr Hardwick says in his report:

It is clear that Pentonville cannot operate as a modern 21st century prison without investment in its physical condition, adequate staffing levels to manage its complex population – and effective support from the centre.

“If these things cannot be provided, considerations should be given to whether HMP Pentonville has a viable future.”

Mr Hardwick’s inspection of HMP Pentonville found that the original four cell blocks of the prison were still of the same construction as when they were built in 1842.

Inmates were found to be sharing “small, dirty, badly ventilated single cells” which had broken windows and furniture.

Prison inspectors also found that facilities and opportunities for rehabilitation, exercise and other activities at HMP Pentonville were also limited, resulting in prisoners having to spend long periods locked in their cells without any “meaningful activity” to help them pass the time.

The prison’s mental health unit was found to receive 100 referrals every month out of the 1,236 prisoners the jail currently holds.

Inspectors also found that around 30% of the HMP Pentonville’s inmates were foreign nationals. The guide issued to all prisoners when they arrive at a prison has to be translated into 25 languages to cover the language needs of all the inmates at HMP Pentonville.

The chief executive of the National Offender Management Service, Michael Spurr, said that the report by HM Chief Inspector of Prisons had identified some progress in violence reduction and resettlement work at the prison.
Mr Spurr added that HMP Pentonville would receive the support it required to address concerns raised in the report.

However, the Howard League for Penal Reform said that the prison was overcrowded and “crumbling” – and HMP Pentonville was not receiving adequate resources from the Ministry of Justice to deal with poor mental health, drug abuse and malnourishment among inmates.

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