New report slams Wormwood Scrubs

A culture of staff brutality could "re-emerge" at Wormwood Scrubs jail, four years after a police investigation which led to the jailing of six prison officers for assault, the Chief Inspector of Prisons warned today.

Although the 1,000-inmate jail is now rid of rogue officers who violently assaulted inmates, the institution is still "stigmatised" and struggling to move on, Anne Owers said.

The west London prison had "stalled, or was sliding backwards" in areas that had begun to improve at the last inspection two years ago.

Sparking an angry rebuttal from prisons chief Martin Narey, Ms Owers said in a new report published today: "The green shoots of February 2000 had failed to blossom.

"We found management weaknesses and gaps through which we feared the old culture could re-emerge."

Police investigated 100 officers in the late 1990s over allegations of staff brutality, and 27 were suspended. Three prison officers were jailed last year for a "sadistic" attack on an inmate, and three others in September 2000.

In her introduction to the 213-page report Ms Owers added: "On all four of our key tests Wormwood Scrubs was less healthy, or at best no healthier, than it had been 22 months earlier.

"Our inspectors found themselves once again being provided with promises, plans and hopes, rather than achievements and outcomes."

But the director general of the Prison Service, Martin Narey, hit back at aspects of the report which he considered unfair.

"I reject firmly the Inspectorate's conclusions," he said.

"The unacceptable treatment of prisoners and the use of violence against them has been eradicated at Wormwood Scrubs.

"The Inspectorate has severely underestimated the challenge in so dramatically reforming a prison of this size and complexity."

He added: "I think the chief inspector makes it very plain that in spite of coming in here for 10 days with a record number of inspectors, she found no evidence whatsoever of the re-emergence of brutality."

Ms Owers said the effect of the high-profile police investigation had been "corrosive" and - in therapists' terminology - no "closure" had been provided for staff because there had been no independent inquiry into why the situation at the Scrubs had deteriorated so badly over such a long period of time.

Her main recommendation to Home Secretary David Blunkett was to set up a system to ensure "transparent and independent" investigations into serious allegations such at those made about the Scrubs.

Criticisms in today's report include:

The health care centre had deteriorated to an "appalling state" - there was vomit on the floor, one ward was untidy, toilets were dirty, while mattresses and bedding were stained and torn;

Almost half of inmates questioned said they felt unsafe in the prison at least some of the time;

The anti-bullying strategy was "ineffective", with inspectors finding only two cases of bullies being properly dealt with, and known bullies being given jobs as cleaners, which allowed "these violent men to prey on others at will";

There was a lack of purposeful activity - with 44% of inmates saying they were out of their cell for less than four hours a day, compared with 17% in February 2000, and there were few opportunities for exercise and socialising;

Two officers suspended for more than two years during the inquiry and eventually found not guilty of all charges, had returned to work with no reintegration scheme, leading to a "divisive effect" between staff and management;

Frequent changes in the senior management team and poor staff training meant there was no continuity which made it even more difficult to get to grips with the jail's problems.

In all, inspectors made 242 recommendations for improvement.

Ms Owers added: "We found no evidence, at the time of our inspection, of a culture of brutality by officers towards prisoners.

"Indeed, in the segregation unit, the area which had previously caused greatest concern, we found evidence of good and carefully supervised practice."

Officers felt "stigmatised" by the brutality investigation and many "felt ashamed to be identified with the actions of a small group of their peers".

As a result, staff had a "distance" or "reluctance" to engage with prisoners, the inspectors said.

"Many staff were hypersensitive to the whole question of the use of force and some were reluctant to use control and restraint even when it was warranted," said the report.

Scrubs governor Keith Munns said: "The staff and systems now in place will not allow any violent culture to emerge."

Inmates told reporters they had not suffered bad experiences with prison officers at the jail.

Jason, 29, who has served 18 months of a six-year sentence for a drugs offence, said: "I haven't had any trouble here at all. I've found all the staff helpful.

"When I found out I was coming here from court it frightened me a little bit but when I got here, it was very different to what I expected it to be.

"From what I had heard, it was a pretty nasty prison at one stage. But I haven't seen any of that.

"If you treat staff with respect, I think they treat you with respect."

Christian, 37, serving five years for supply of Class A drugs, said: "I've not had any problems.

"I've heard talk of all these things that used to happen here but I've not seen it."