Winchester Prison: Inspectors Slam Conditions

Two severely disabled prisoners were locked up in a cell for nearly 24 hours a day and had not showered for months, an inspection has found.

The pair were jailed in the cell at HMP Winchester - designed for just one person - and relied on other prisoners to take them their meals, HM Inspectorate of Prisons (HMIP) found.

Staff were unaware that the two older and disabled prisoners could not use the shower on their landing as it was not adapted accordingly.

The men had a small window in their cell that was painted over so they had to choose between keeping out the cold or shutting out the light, the report added.

Elsewhere, one third of the 680 prisoners told inspectors illegal drugs were "easily available", while one in 10 developed a drug habit within the jail walls.

The category B prison, partly built in the 19th century, has deteriorated sharply and is now of serious concern, Chief Inspector of Prisons Nick Hardwick said.

"Until shortly before the inspection, HMP Winchester was neglected and drifting," Mr Hardwick said.

"There had been pockets of good practice and, although many staff did their best, their efforts were often haphazard, inconsistent and badly coordinated."

In a damning report, the inspectorate said that more than half of prisoners had felt unsafe at some time, while there was insufficient action to tackle violence.

Mr Hardwick said a new governor was appointed shortly before the inspection.

He said: "The new leadership was aware of many of the problems and we saw early signs of a determined effort to tackle them.

"But the prison is just at the start of the process of putting things right again, and it will be a long, hard task to do so."

National Offender Management Service chief executive Michael Spurr said: "As the chief inspector acknowledges, the new governor has begun to tackle the deficiencies and I am confident that these will be properly addressed and rectified."