HM Inspectorate of Prisons (HMIP) has published findings from return visits to Wormwood Scrubs and Pentonville. Inspectors went back to the two London prisons in 2026 to assess progress since their scathing verdicts in 2025.
Wormwood Scrubs
Charlie Taylor, the Chief Inspector of Prisons, said Wormwood Scrubs had concentrated on safety and made considerable strides. He praised its success in stemming the spread of illegal drugs. Drug testing, he said, showed that the new approach was working. He singled out the Incentivised Substance-Free Living unit for particular praise.
Use of body-worn cameras had improved, and the prison recorded more incidents properly. However, Mr Taylor found the use of force unacceptably inconsistent.
Time out of cell and purposeful activity remained unacceptable. The policy restricting mixing between wings had not changed, and it caused tension and unhappiness among prisoners. Around 40 per cent of prisoners remained locked up during the working day, and Mr Taylor described the regime as poor.
Living conditions had improved, but work to upgrade the vital emergency cell call system was moving slowly. Supervision of medication had got better.
Housing providers now offered better support. Despite this, homelessness on release had risen rather than fallen. Plans to help people released early were still in development.
Pentonville
At Pentonville, inspectors returned in March and found that leaders had taken the previous report seriously. They judged progress good in leadership, early days and sentence management. Progress on prisoner safety and on relationships between staff and prisoners was reasonable.
Reception and first night processes now had better organisation and supervision. Improved quality assurance checks had given leaders more control over sentence management.
Time out of cell, however, had not increased nearly enough. Despite a new core day, too many men remained locked up for long periods.
Inspectors found inconsistent use of suicide and self-harm prevention processes. Far too many men had no activities to attend, and recording of class attendance was inconsistent.
Inspectors noted the training kitchens that had recently opened. They also found that work with third-sector organisations had created new opportunities and improved the environment.
HMIP said the Governor now had clearer direction and stronger oversight of critical systems. It found clear improvements where the leadership team had focused its attention. However, it warned that these gains would not last unless time out of cell became more consistent and more people took part in the activities on offer.
