A sharp rise in violence against prisoners and staff at HMP Woodhill has raised ‘deep concern’ about the safety of the prison. The most recent inspection by the prisons watchdog found an increase in violence, drug use, and self-harm. The inspection sought to follow up on previous concerns identified in the prison after an Urgent Notification for improvement was issued in March earlier this year.

The latest report found the rate of violence between prisoners has risen by 23% since the last inspection and there has been a sharp rise in assaults against staff by about 38%. It said the number of violent incidents ‘remain amongst the highest’ in Category B prisons with ‘a significant proportion involving weapons,’ and ‘a troubling increase’ in assaults on prison staff since our previous inspection.

There had also been an uptake in illicit drug use with 41% of inmates testing positive for drugs in institution wide testing. In responding to a survey, 45% of prisoners said that it was easy to get hold of illicit drugs.It was also previously reported that there had been three drug related deaths in the prison over the previous two years.

The report also found that levels of self-harm were the highest across the male estate and there were consistent inadequacies in the care and support provided to those in crisis.

The Justice Gap previously reported on the findings of the inspection in March earlier this year. The Urgent Notification had resulted in the development of an Action Plan by the Ministry of Justice, which sought to increase staffing and to resolve concerns raised from the inspection. However, the latest inspection found that many prisoners continued to describe staff as ‘antagonistic,’ ‘dismissive’ and ‘disengaged.’

The report also discusses findings from a third-party education platform which examined the educational opportunities available for prisoners. Part of this focus looked at how inmates could be better provided with the opportunity to learn skills that might help them attain jobs after release. Following the evaluation, HMP Woodhill’s curriculum was deemed ‘inadequate’ and in need of ‘improvements’.

The Chief Inspector of Prisons, Charlie Taylor, expressed ‘deep concern’ about the findings of the report, stating that ‘Substantial and sustained improvement is required, as well as meaningful support from senior leaders in HMPPS, if Woodhill is to function at an anywhere near acceptable standard.’