Pentonville Prison in Caledonian Road

A REPORT into conditions at Pentonville Prison has found overcrowding at the Victorian prison has got even worse since two consecutive and damning inspections in 2019 and last year – and called on prison bosses to “take responsibility for the failure to plan effectively to reduce overcrowding”.

In a “stark warning” to prisons bosses, the Independent Review of Progress, published by HM Prisons Inspectorate on Monday, said it was “extremely disappointing” that “no meaningful progress” had been made around overcrowding at the Caledonian Road prison, which was described in an inspection last year as “severe”.

Written by the Chief Inspector of Prisons, Charlie Taylor, it said: “Pentonville has habitually been one of the more challenging and troubled prisons with a succession of poor inspections and, while the last full inspection identified some positives, many concerns remained.

“It was extremely disappointing that in one of the most critical priority concerns – overcrowding – we found that there had been no meaningful progress. Paradoxically, rather than reducing the significant overcrowding, we found that the population was higher than at our full inspection, with plans to increase it further.”

Charlie Taylor

Initially designed for 520 people in single cells, the 180-year-old institution is one of the oldest prisons in the country and now holds more than double that, with two people locked in a cell for one and plans to begin holding three inmates in a single cell.

In February prisons minister Damian Hinds said it was expected to hold 1,205 men this year – a rise of 20 per cent on last year.

Mr Taylor went on to criticise prison bosses – but significantly those a paygrade above Pentonville’s prison chiefs, rather than Pentonville’s managers themselves – for “failure to plan effectively to reduce overcrowding,” after data predicted an increase in national prisoner numbers.

And in a clear indication that he felt the prison had not been able to make the progress called for in last year’s inspection – due to overcrowding – he added: “If the prison was to make further progress, national leaders needed to accept the limitations of an establishment that has to work harder than most to battle through its entrenched problems.”

Pia Sinha, chief executive of the Prison Reform Trust, praised Pentonville’s “resilient leadership team” against a “backdrop of severe overcrowding pressure” after reasonable progress was made in five out of the nine recommendations made in 2022.

“However,” she added, “any progress made on enhancing safety and reducing violence will be fragile. This report also contains a stark warning from the Chief Inspector to prison leaders. As we approach the summer, cramped, airless cells designed for one will now hold two or even three men. Ministers need a plan to reduce the unnecessary use of custody so prisons like Pentonville have a fighting chance of maintaining a safe, decent and rehabilitative regime.”