Overcrowded cells in Wormwood Scrubs: what it means in practice

Wormwood Scrubs prison is unsafe, unclean, and overcrowded according to a report by the Prison Inspector.

The Prison Service has two standards on crowding. One states the number of inmates a prison can hold while maintaining the standard the Service aims for, while the other specifies the number that can be held "without serious risk to good order, security and the proper running of the planned regime".

We've explained these categories in more depth in an earlier piece, but as we put it then; "while the former is a good standard, the latter is something of a red line."

It seems Wormwood doesn't meet that good standard in many cases. The inspection found that "toilets were filthy and inadequately screened" and "a number of cells designed for one prisoner held two." Regulations say in normal circumstances prisoners must be able to use a toilet in private and that if there's a bunk bed there needs to be space for two separate beds.

As well as concerns over cells, the report raised safety issues. Nearly half of prisoners said they'd felt unsafe at some point while there. Six have taken their own lives since 2011, and recommendations on prevention measures haven't been implemented.