Wandsworth Prison Improvement Campaign has written to Edward Argar, the Minister for Prisons, to follow up the Chief Inspector's Urgent Notification. Here is the text of our letter.
The issue yesterday of the urgent notification by the Chief Inspector of Prisons has taken us into new territory. His report nails the urgent issues for which we also provided evidence drawn from our experience of the prison and that of prisoners, ex-prisoners and their families.
It is vital that this opportunity is not lost. There have too often in the past been positive changes which have not been carried through so money and effort have been wasted. The prison will not be turned round easily; it needs intensive attention and commitment, good leadership and support from the highest levels, sustained over time.
The Chief Inspector emphasised the importance of a change in the culture. The prison has been described by some who know it well as " nasty", "cruel", "inhumane", " lawless" and "violent". There is a lack of a dependable regime. This will not change with improvements in the infrastructure, vital as they are. Prisoners and their families need to know that they can expect decency, acceptable standards and consistency in applying them.
The culture of secrecy, fear and lack of accountability has done damage, leaving powerless and complicit even those serving the prison with the best intentions.
We seek:
political leadership to turn round the worst prison in the country - Ministers showing by their actions that Wandsworth is their priority, by providing the necessary resources as promised and backing the leaders they appoint
recognition within the Departments of Justice and of Health that Wandsworth Prison needs the ablest leaders, not only in the prison but in the wider Prison Service and in the civil service, with the courage to reach beyond bureaucratic solutions and beyond blaming. Leadership needs both experience and inspiration. We hope the Minister will not shy away from seeking an exceptional leader outside HMPPS if supported by an experienced and stable team.
an urgent joint plan with the Home Office, Department of Health and Met Police to tackle drug use and disrupt drugs gangs. We have received evidence from prisoners' families of severe threats and extortion of serious amounts of money (not in the Inspector’s report).
a welcome back for charities and the outside world. They can help change the culture
a plan with clear actions and regular monitoring to Ministers. The local community has shown its interest; our group can be a second pair of eyes.
We hope also that once the urgent matters have been dealt with, the overriding objective for the future Governor will be to ensure that those leaving the prison are better equipped to lead law-abiding lives than when they went in.
We would welcome a meeting with the Minister to discuss these points, especially how we might help maintain scrutiny and support the new governor.
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