Prison ‘A Matter Of Deep Shame’

Conditions at Pentonville prison are “a matter of deep shame”, according to a report published by the prisons watchdog. The independent monitoring board found evidence of “endemic squalour” and rat and cockroach infestations in the north London prison, which was built in 1842 and has the capacity to house 1,127 inmates.

Its annual report to the secretary of state also pointed out:

• Insufficient numbers of staff have to cope with double the number of prisoners that Pentonville was built for.
• Mentally ill prisoners are detained in unsuitable conditions.
• There are inadequate facilities for the reception of prisoners.
• It has a “lamentably” poor library.
• Expenditure per prisoner, at £22,778 a year, is the lowest of any prison in the capital and more than £2,200 below the national average.

The board welcomed the appointment of Nick Leader as governor in April but said considerable investment was needed to bring conditions up to an acceptable standard. It described Pentonville as a place of “endemic squalour and poverty of regime which ought to be a matter of deep shame to government in 21st-century Britain”.

Juliet Lyon, director of the Prison Reform Trust, said: “Still it seems to be the poor relation of the prison system, grossly overcrowded, under-resourced and neglected. The question remains: can Pentonville be rescued or should this London dungeon be closed down as unfit for human habitation?”

A spokesperson for the prison service said: “The new governor and a strengthened management team are urgently addressing the prison’s problems, but it is one of our busiest prisons with one of the highest number of receptions and is operating at maximum capacity.

“It is the oldest Victorian prison in the country and is in need of significant refurbishment. The area manager and the governor are identifying the areas in most need of investment to ensure improvements for prisoners are delivered.”