The Chief Inspector of Prisons has issued an Urgent Notification of HMP Pentonville after a recent inspection uncovered the prison in ‘a state of disarray.’

Significant backlogs in sentence calculations meant some prisoners were being released early in error and – shockingly – many more were held after they should have been released. Staff were often unaware of who exactly they were looking after or where they were located and 44% of prisoners surveyed said they felt unsafe at the time of the inspection – the highest figure recorded in a reception prison in recent times.

Inspectors also observed a widespread lack of care for prisoners at imminent risk of self-harm, with staff responsible for those on constant supervision instead found to be reading books, asleep and in one case completely absent.

HM Chief Inspector of Prisons, Charlie Taylor, remarked:

‘Pentonville is an overcrowded, inner-city, Victorian prison with a record of poor performance over many years. Too many of its staff have become disillusioned about the possibility of improvement or their capacity to affect change. Yet many of its shocking failures are firmly within the control of leaders.’

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