Winchester jail put in special measures

A TROUBLED prison has been put in special measures.

Winchester jail is set to receive extra support by the Ministry of Justice.

It comes after the Independent Monitoring Board for the jail said it was ‘teetering’ on the edge of a major incident.

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Around 17 assaults were reported each week at the jail, with a regime that ‘bordered on the inhumane’ due to inadequate staffing, a subterranean segregation unit, inadequate healthcare and dilapidated Victorian buildings.

IMB chairman, Angus Somerville, said; ‘We are pleased that the Ministry of Justice has recognised the significant challenges that the prison has been dealing with, and accepted that it needs additional support and resources.’

Four deaths in custody had been recorded in the period.

The IMB report did praise the staff for working in stressful conditions, and for improvements made since a new governor had come in.

The healthcare provider has put in a ‘remedial’ plan.