Violence-plagued and grubby Milton Keynes prison declared 'fundamentally unsafe' by inspectors

MK’s Woodhill Prison has been deemed ‘fundamentally unsafe’ due to the amount of violence there.

Staff at the jail are subject to the highest rate of serious assaults in England and Wales, while bullying and intimidation by prisoners is commonplace, say prison inspectors following an unannounced visit earlier this month.

This week the Chief Inspector of Prisons has written to the Secretary of State for Justice and Lord Chancellor to issue an Urgent Notification for improvement. You can read the letter here.

The inspection found low morale amongst staff, which meant many had voted with their feet and quit.

"More officers were leaving than joining, with no indication that the situation would improve,” said a spokesperson for HM Inspectorate of Prisons.

“There were high levels of violence and drug use at the jail, which holds category A prisoners in addition to its role as a category B trainer. In a survey of prisoners, 71% said they had felt unsafe and inspectors found at least 26 who were self-isolating in their cells in fear for their safety.”

The rate of reported self-harm at Woodhill was the highest in the adult male estate.

"Despite this, induction for new arrivals was very poor, emergency call bells often went unanswered for long periods, and ‘key work’ support from officers was non-existent,” said the spokesperson.

Staff shortages meant education and work were often cancelled, and the library has been shut since 2020.

Prisoners spent far too long locked in often damaged cells. Communal areas of the prison were neglected and dirty, and prisoners were frustrated at the lack of access to basic amenities and limited opportunities for progression.

Illicit drug use was a ”serious problem”. The self-harm rate was very high and the prison’s response to these incidents was inadequate, say the inspectors. Communal areas of the prison were dirty, and in some parts, filthy, they said.

"Without significantly improved staffing levels, it was not clear how the jail will improve,” said the spokesperson.

HM Chief Inspector of Prisons, Charlie Taylor, said: “This was a very concerning inspection. A little over a month after issuing an Urgent Notification for HMP Bristol, it is deeply troubling to report on another prison where both staff and prisoners felt fundamentally unsafe.

"Woodhill had the highest rate of serious assaults on staff, as well as levels of self-harm among male prisoners. Woodhill is a complex, high-risk prison, holding prisoners convicted of serious offences; it simply cannot operate effectively with such chronic staff shortages. Urgent support is needed from HMPPS to help Woodhill and other establishments to develop credible, long-term plans that improve staff recruitment, and, crucially, staff retention.

“It should be of considerable concern to us all that only a third of the prisoners at Woodhill said that their experience would make them less likely to reoffend in the future, a far lower proportion than at similar prisons.”

An Urgent Notification requires a response and action plan from the Secretary of State within 28 days.

Woodhill prison has been in difficulty for some time. Last year’s inspection report said it was failing to make progress and suffering from staff shortages.

You can read the latest inspection report here.