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HM Prison Wandsworth

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HM Prison Wandsworth is a Category B men's prison at Wandsworth in the London Borough of Wandsworth, South West London, England. It is operated by His Majesty's Prison Service and is one of the largest prisons in the UK.[2]

HMP Wandsworth
Map
LocationWandsworth,
London, SW18
Security classAdult Male/Category B Local
Population1,562
Opened1851; 173 years ago (1851)
Managed byHM Prison Services
GovernorKatie Price[1]
WebsiteWandsworth at justice.gov.uk

History

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HM Prison Wandsworth from the air

The prison was built in 1851, when it was known as Surrey House of Correction.[3] It was designed according to the humane separate system principle with a number of corridors radiating from a central control point with each prisoner having toilet facilities. The toilets were later removed to increase prison capacity and the prisoners had to "slop out", until 1996.[4]

On 29 July 1879, Catherine Webster was executed for the murder and dismemberment of her mistress, Mrs. Thomas, at Richmond. The murder, which occurred in March, was for the purpose of stealing Mrs. Thomas' property and going to America with a man named Webb. The only witnesses to the execution were the sheriff, the surgeon and the chaplain. No reporters were permitted. The sheriff reported that Mrs. Webster met her death with dignity. The body was buried in a shallow grave on prison grounds and covered in lime.[5]

In 1930, inmate James Edward Spiers, serving a 10-year sentence for armed robbery, took his own life in front of a group of justices of the peace who were there to witness his receiving 15 lashes, then a form of judicial corporal punishment.[6]

In 1951, Wandsworth was the holding prison for a national stock of the birch and the cat o' nine tails, implements for corporal punishment inflicted as a disciplinary penalty under the prison rules.[7] An example of a flogging with the "cat" carried out in Wandsworth Prison itself was reported in July 1954.[8]

On 8 July 1965, Ronnie Biggs escaped from the prison, where he was serving a 30-year sentence for his part in the Great Train Robbery. Two years later he fled to Brazil and remained on the run until 2001, when he returned to the UK.[9]

The prison was originally designed to hold less than a thousand inmates, but as of 2023, there are between 1,300 and 1,500 prisoners.[10]

Execution site

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Wandsworth was the site of 135 executions, between 1878 and 1961. Built in 1878, the gallows was located near the A wing.[11] In 1911, a new gallows was built between the E and F wings, and in 1938 a further gallows was built at the E wing.[11] Among those executed by hanging were:

(in order by date of execution)

On 25 April 1951, a double execution took place at Wandsworth, when Edward Smith and Joseph Brown stood on the gallows together and were executed simultaneously. The final executions at Wandsworth were those of Francis Forsyth on 10 November 1960, Victor John Terry on 25 May 1961 and Henryk Niemasz on 8 September 1961 (Forsyth was one of just four 18-year-olds executed in a British prison in the twentieth century).

With the exceptions of Scott-Ford, who was convicted of treachery, and Joyce and Amery, who were convicted of treason, all executions were for the crime of murder.

The gallows were kept in full working order until 1993 and tested every six months. In 1994, they were dismantled and the condemned suite is now used as a tea room for prison officers.[11] The gallows' trapdoor and lever were sent to the Prison Service Museum in Rugby, Warwickshire. After this museum permanently closed in 2004, they were sent to the Galleries of Justice in Nottingham, where those and an execution box may be seen.

Recent history

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Panorama of HMP Wandsworth from Heathfield Road

In October 2009, gross misconduct charges were brought against managers of Wandsworth Prison, after an investigation found that prisoners had been temporarily transferred to HMP Pentonville before inspections. The transfers, which included vulnerable prisoners, were made in order to manipulate population figures.[13]

In March 2011, an unannounced follow-up inspection was conducted by the Chief Inspector of Prisons, which found that "...Wandsworth compared badly with similar prisons facing similar challenges and we were concerned by what appeared to be unwillingness among some prison managers and staff to acknowledge and take responsibility for the problems the prison faced."[14]

In May 2015 a prisoner was found dead in his cell, prompting a murder investigation.[15]

On 11 November 2018, a vulnerable and mentally ill 18-year-old Lithuanian national, Osvaldas Pagirys hanged himself in his cell in the prison's segregation unit. Osvaldas, who spoke little-to-no English was detained for extradition to Lithuania for stealing sweets and hanged himself in his cell after a series of failures by the prison. These failings including punishing him for his mental health rather than assisting him, using Google Translate to assess his risk of suicide, not acting on several prior suicide attempts and, on the day of his death, not answering his cell emergency bell for nearly an hour, which could have saved his life.[16]

On 6 September 2023, Daniel Abed Khalife, on remand awaiting trial in relation to terrorism and the Official Secrets Act, escaped from the prison.[17][18] The escape caused significant disruption at airports and ports around the UK due to enhanced security checks.[19] He was found and arrested in the Northolt area on 9 September 2023.[20]

In June 2024, the prison was investigated after a video emerged that allegedly showed a prison officer having sex with one of the inmates.[21]

The prison today

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Wandsworth Prison contains eight wings on two units. The smaller unit, containing three wings, was originally designed for women. This unit houses prisoners who attend full time activities.

Education and training courses are offered at Wandsworth.[22] Facilities at the prison include two gyms and a sports hall. The large prison chaplaincy offers chaplains from the Roman Catholic, Anglican, Methodist, Muslim, Jewish, Sikh, Hindu, Buddhist, Mormon, and Jehovah's Witness faiths.

A BBC investigation showed large-scale drug abuse, with cannabis being openly smoked and harder drugs found. There are allegations of staff corruption, including of staff bringing drugs into the prison.[23] Wandsworth has lost its status as a reform prison. Glyn Travis of the Prison Officers Association said, "Wandsworth staff had bought into the reform process and worked well with the governor to implement the reforms. Now, the prison has lost its reform status and once again, staff and prisoners have been left high and dry as this government's agenda seems to change at the drop of a hat."[24] Wandsworth is the most overcrowded prison in England, and body scanners were not used on visitors to prevent contraband being brought into the prison, allegedly due to shortage of staff. Peter Clarke said, "In essence, there were too many prisoners, many with drug-related or mental-health issues, and with not enough to do." Also, not all staff carried anti-ligature knives despite six suicides since 2015.[25]

Chris Atkins'[26] book A Bit of a Stretch: The Diaries of a Prisoner[27] describes ongoing poor conditions during his stay in 2016–2017 with many of the touted improvements merely being on paper rather than having been implemented. He describes some of the attempted changes as part of the "Prison and Safety Reform (2016)" that were not successful.

Notable inmates

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Wandsworth is mentioned in multiple forms of media.

Film

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  • Starred Up (2014) was written by a former therapist at this prison.[53]
  • Let Him Have It (1991) features Derek Bentley, who was held in this prison up until he was hanged in 1953.[54]
  • A Clockwork Orange (1971) shows the exterior of the prison (the interiors were filmed elsewhere).[55]

Literature

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Music

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Wandsworth is mentioned in:

References

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  1. ^ "Wandsworth Prison". GOV.UK. 17 January 2023. Archived from the original on 6 September 2023. Retrieved 7 September 2023.
  2. ^ "Wandsworth Prison". Ministry of Justice. Retrieved 20 April 2015.
  3. ^ Hughes, Amani (25 June 2015). "Surrey House of Correction: Acid bath murderer and Derek Bentley 'let him have it' case among hangings". SurreyLive.
  4. ^ Rowland, David (1 December 2014). "Wandsworth Prison, London". The Old Police Cells Museum. Archived from the original on 31 May 2015. Retrieved 29 July 2015.
  5. ^ "A Woman Hanged". The Boston Globe. 30 July 1879 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "Wandsworth Walloper". Time. New York. 17 February 1930. Archived from the original on 3 December 2007. Retrieved 23 June 2007.
  7. ^ "Memorandum to prisons re Birches and Cats-o-nine tails". Prison Commission. 20 July 1951. PRO: HO 323/13.
  8. ^ "Prison mutiny men get 'cat'". Daily Mirror. London. 7 July 1954.
  9. ^ "1965: Ronald Biggs escapes from jail". BBC News. 8 July 1965.
  10. ^ "Wandsworth prison life: Decay, drugs and drudgery". BBC News. 7 September 2023. Retrieved 7 September 2023.
  11. ^ a b c "Wandsworth prison, London". Capital Punishment U.K. Retrieved 5 February 2019.
  12. ^ "The Execution of Lord Haw Haw at Wandsworth Prison in 1946". Another Nickel In The Machine. Retrieved 20 April 2015.
  13. ^ "Inmates 'moved before jail check'". BBC News. 20 October 2009. Retrieved 26 October 2009.
  14. ^ Report on an unannounced full follow-up inspection of HMP Wandsworth (PDF) (Report). Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Prisons. 4 March 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 15 May 2012 – via Independent Advisory Panel on Deaths in Custody.
  15. ^ Rawlinson, Kevin (4 May 2015). "Man arrested on suspicion of murder in Wandsworth prison". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 29 July 2015.
  16. ^ "Independent investigation into the death of Mr Osvaldas Pagirys a prisoner at HMP Wandsworth" (PDF). Prisons and Probation Ombudsman. 14 November 2016.
  17. ^ "Hunt for prisoner Daniel Abed Khalife after Wandsworth prison escape". BBC News. 6 September 2023. Retrieved 6 September 2023.
  18. ^ "Staffordshire soldier in court accused of 'bomb hoax' and terror offence". Express and Star. Wolverhampton. 17 February 2023. Retrieved 6 September 2023.
  19. ^ "Daniel Khalife: Ex-soldier terror suspect on run accused of working for Iran". BBC News. Retrieved 7 September 2023.
  20. ^ "Daniel Khalife: Escaped terror suspect arrested in north-west London". BBC News. 9 September 2023. Retrieved 9 September 2023.
  21. ^ "Wandsworth Prison: Inquiry into 'inmate and officer sex video'". BBC News. 28 June 2024. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
  22. ^ Owers, Anne (April 2003). Report on an unannounced inspection of HM Prison Wansworth (PDF) (Report). Criminal Justice Inspectorates. p. 90. Retrieved 10 June 2024.
  23. ^ Thomas, Ed & Titheradge, Noel (18 May 2016). "Inside Wandsworth prison: Drugs and tension". BBC News.
  24. ^ Allison, Eric (4 June 2017). "HMP Wandsworth loses reform prison status". The Guardian. London.
  25. ^ "X-ray body scanner not used at Wandsworth prison, report finds". BBC News. 13 July 2018.
  26. ^ a b "Film producers jailed for 'audacious' £2.2m film tax scam". The Guardian. London. 1 July 2016.
  27. ^ a b "A Bit of a Stretch". Curtis Brown.
  28. ^ Milmo, Cahal (7 January 2011). "Mongolia declares diplomatic war on Britain over arrested spy". The Independent. London. Retrieved 9 January 2011.
  29. ^ "Wimbledon star Boris Becker jailed for two-and-a-half years over bankruptcy". Wandsworth Times. 29 April 2022. Retrieved 29 April 2022.
  30. ^ "Tappin returns to UK prison". ITV News. 30 September 2013. Retrieved 28 February 2022.
  31. ^ Vaughan, Henry; Robinson, James (6 September 2023). "Daniel Abed Khalife: Terror suspect escapes Wandsworth Prison". Sky News. Retrieved 6 September 2023.
  32. ^ "What can David Chaytor expect now he has been sentenced?". The Guardian. London. 7 January 2011. Retrieved 7 January 2011.
  33. ^ France, Anthony (6 January 2021). "Drill rappers targeted by police for inciting violence and taunting victims". Evening Standard. London. Retrieved 1 October 2021.
  34. ^ Patterson, Joseph "JP" (24 November 2020). "Digga D: 'I've learnt from my mistakes'". BBC Three. Retrieved 1 October 2021.
  35. ^ Murray, Robin (15 June 2020). "Why was Digga D's black lives matter protest shut down". Clash Music. Retrieved 1 October 2021.
  36. ^ Russell, Bertrand & Griffin, Nicholas (2002). The Selected Letters of Bertrand Russell: The Public Years, 1914-1970. London: Routledge. p. 62. ISBN 0415249988.
  37. ^ "Child molester Gary Glitter attacked by inmate just days after returning to jail". Daily Record. Glasgow. 15 February 2015. Retrieved 20 April 2015.
  38. ^ "Graham Rix: 'No one will give me a job'". The Independent. London. 10 March 2013.
  39. ^ "Ike Ekweremadu: Organ-trafficking plot politician and wife guilty". BBC News. 23 March 2023. Retrieved 27 March 2023.
  40. ^ Jones, Charlie (7 August 2022). "Doctor 'conspired with senator to traffic homeless man to UK to harvest organs'". Daily Mirror. London. Retrieved 14 August 2022.
  41. ^ Lewis, Anthony (19 July 1968). "Ray, on U.S. Plane, Leaves Britain". The New York Times. p. 16.
  42. ^ Davies, Caroline; Jones, Sam; Hirsch, Afua (8 December 2010). "Julian Assange denied bail over sexual assault allegations". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 8 December 2010.
  43. ^ Williams, Matt (16 December 2010). "Great to smell fresh air says freed Assange". The Independent. London. Retrieved 16 December 2010.
  44. ^ "Prison, football, family, the Samaritans and me: Mark Aizlewood on life after jail". Wales Online. 18 September 2021. Retrieved 17 July 2022.
  45. ^ "Max Clifford sentenced to eight years in prison". The Independent. London. Retrieved 20 April 2015.
  46. ^ a b c Norrish, Mike (3 November 2011). "Pakistan spot-fixing scandal: live". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 4 November 2011.
  47. ^ Flood, Alison (13 May 2014). "Oscar Wilde's gift to governor who let him read in Reading gaol up for auction". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 29 July 2015.
  48. ^ Clarke, Betty (30 July 2004). "Us against the world". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 29 July 2015.
  49. ^ Gayle, Damien (6 January 2023). "More than 100 writers sign letter in solidarity with jailed UK climate activists". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
  50. ^ "Fraudster escapes from one of Britain's most secure prisons by forging letter granting him bail". The Daily Telegraph. London. 27 March 2015. Retrieved 29 July 2015.
  51. ^ "The Kray Twins – He's My Brother". Court TV Crime Library. 2007. Archived from the original on 7 January 2007.
  52. ^ Petrie, Gordon (25 August 1983). "Headmaster was police spy in child-sex group". The Glasgow Herald. p. 1.
  53. ^ Kermode, Mark (23 March 2014). "Starred Up review – a powerful prison drama that pits father against son". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 10 June 2024.
  54. ^ "1953: Derek Bentley hanged for murder". BBC News. 28 January 1953. Retrieved 10 June 2024.
  55. ^ "A Clockwork Orange (1971)". NYC in Film. 4 June 2023. Retrieved 10 June 2024.
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