Winchester independent review of progress 2023
Report for Winchester Prison
Summary
we found a prison facing significant challenges, and we judged it to be one of the most violent establishments in the country. The culture of the prison was one of low expectations and apathy among staff and prisoners, and difficulties with recruitment and retention meant that there were not enough staff to offer consistently even the most basic regime. We found that leaders were too complacent about some poor outcomes. 1.4 At this independent review of progress, we assessed progress against 12 recommendations, including four made by Ofsted. Our findings confirmed that overall, progress was being made against most. 1.5 The population had increased, and violence remained high, although encouragingly the rate of violence had declined by about 16% in the six months before our visit, while self-harm had decreased by nearly half. Oversight of the use of force was better developed, but leaders could have made further improvements by developing a greater understanding of local data. 1.6 The reopening of refurbished accommodation was being used as a benchmark to set standards across the prison, providing less experienced staff with the opportunity to gain an understanding of the minimum requirements to which they should be aspiring.