ASSAULTS in Pentonville prison have reached their highest numbers in five years, new figures have revealed.

The prison in Caledonian Road has come under fire for its squalid and unsafe conditions and has faced calls for its closure.

Data obtained though Freedom of Information requests by Legal Expert showed that there were 459 assaults by inmates on other prisoners in the year 2024/25, compared to 308 five years earlier.

Meanwhile, there were 261 assaults on staff last year.

Experts have warned that the increased rate of violence is symptomatic of worsening conditions, including overcrowding, lack of staff, and poor mental health.

Annual reports by the independent monitoring board (IMB) have found failings time and time again in the prison which now houses 1,200 inmates despite being originally designed for just 480.

Earlier this year Islington South MP Emily Thornberry called for Pentonville to be closed after a report found that prisoners had been unlawfully imprisoned past their release date in squalid and cockroach-infested conditions.

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Justice said: “These statistics once again lay bare the extent of the crisis facing our prisons – with levels of violence, assaults on staff and self-harm far too high.

“The government has made it clear it will do whatever we can to protect our hardworking staff – which is why we are trialling tasers in prisons and mandated protective body armour for prison officers working with the most dangerous offenders.”

They added: “But it is clear fundamental change is needed, which is why we’re also reforming our jails so they create better citizens, not better criminals.”