HMP Wandsworth and Thameside have been identified as the most dangerous prisons in the country, new data has revealed.
House of Commons library research, commissioned by the Liberal Democrats, shows that assaults in prisons are rising by 74 a day across the country, including 25 assaults a day inflicted on staff.
Across prisons in England and Wales there were 26,912 assault incidents in 2023, the equivalent of 315 for every 1,000 prisoners. Of these 3,205 were deemed to be serious assaults, an average of eight every day.
HMP Wandsworth was identified as the country’s most violent prison by the data, recording 1,044 total assaults with more than half of these, 571, being on staff.
In May, the chief inspector of prisons, Charlie Taylor, issued an “urgent notification” regarding the conditions of Wandsworth prison after successive damning reports described the prison as “overcrowded”, with rising rates of violence amongst inmates.
Berwyn in Wrexham, north Wales, had the next highest assaults with 783 followed by HMP Thameside in Thamesmead, Greenwich, with 667.
HMP Thameside in Thamesmead, Greenwich recorded the third highest number of prison assaults in the country last year (Picture: Google Street View)
These figures show a 28 per cent increase in assaults compared with 2022. Assaults on staff also increased by 27 per cent from 7,224 to 9,204.
The revelations come after the new government was forced to authorise the early release of thousands of offenders as part of emergency measures to ease prison overcrowding. Prison cells across the country were expected to run out after operating at 99 per cent capacity since the start of 2023.
Liberal Democrat Justice spokesman Josh Babarinde MP said: “The Conservatives have left our prisons in utter chaos.
“With this staggering number of assaults and rates of re-offending through the roof, the Conservatives have left a system that is failing prison staff, failing victims, and failing our communities.
“Their neglect of our justice system is unforgivable, and their former Ministers should hang their heads in shame for this shambolic legacy.”
HMP Wandsworth (Picture: Facundo Arrizabalaga)
The Liberal Democrats have called for an urgent plan to recruit and retain more prison officers.
MP Babarinde said: “It is no wonder that hard-working prison officers are leaving in their droves when many drive to work fearing they may leave in the back of an ambulance.
“The new government must come forward with an urgent plan to make our prisons safer.”
The Liberal Democrats are also calling for the Government to tackle the criminal courts backlog and invest in rehabilitation to reduce re-offending.
A Ministry of Justice spokeswoman said: “The new Government inherited overcrowded prisons, plagued by violence and close to collapse.
“We have taken immediate action to address this crisis, and have a long term plan to ensure we are never in this position again.
“All assaults in prison are taken extremely seriously. Our hard-working staff have tools like PAVA synthetic pepper spray and body-worn cameras to keep them safe. We will continue to bear down on violence in our prisons.”
Pictured top: HMP Wandsworth (Picture: Facundo Arrizabalaga)