Safety
Repeated
Accurate completion of assessment, care in custody and teamwork (ACCT) paperwork (used to support prisoners who are at risk of self-harm or suicide) remained an issue.
Safety
Repeated
There was an insufficient number of Listeners (prisoners trained by the Samaritans to provide confidential emotional support to fellow prisoners) over most of the reporting year.
Regime/Time Out of Cell
Notwithstanding the long-awaited move of vulnerable prisoners to a dedicated wing and the potential increased opportunities it was anticipated that this would bring, this group was still experiencing a much more restricted regime than their counterparts on other wings.
Safety
Repeated
The poor state of many external cell windows and grilles continued to hinder the prison in its battle against contraband being delivered by drone.
Substance Misuse
Repeated
The Board was concerned that efforts by management to ensure proper officer supervision at all times of prisoners receiving medication was ineffective, risking the diversion of prescribed medication into the illegal prison economy.
Estate/Conditions
Repeated
The crumbling fabric of the prison and poor conditions remained a serious concern to the Board. The building is susceptible to infestations of rats, mice, cockroaches and flies. The majority of men share cramped cells built for single occupancy, and which are often in a poor state. These conditions are not decent or humane. Repairs are slow and often only provide a temporary fix.
Segregation
The condition of the care and separation unit (CSU), where men are segregated in single cells, remained a concern. Some of the cells had damp and/or fly infestations, the shower needed refurbishment and lighting on the landing was very poor for several months at the end of the reporting year.
Staffing
There were inconsistencies in the quality staff-prisoner relationships, as observed by the Board and reported by prisoners in a variety of forums.
Equality/Diversity
Pentonville remains a completely unsuitable environment for prisoners with mobility issues.
Other
Repeated
The system for transfer of prisoner property between prisons remained unfit for purpose, with prisoners often having to wait weeks or months for their belongings to arrive, and property sometimes being lost altogether.
Mental Health
Some of the most complex prisoners who could not settle on even a specialist wing, such as the neurodiverse unit, were observed to move between the CSU and healthcare in-patients (neither of which was a suitable place).
Healthcare
Applications to the healthcare department were not acknowledged so prisoners were unaware if their request for a healthcare appointment had been received, whereas complaints were always acknowledged by letter.
Healthcare
Repeated
The wellbeing centre continued to be an underused resource.
Regime/Time Out of Cell
Repeated
Time out of cell remained a serious concern. His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons (HMIP) reported in March 2026, that around one-third of Pentonville’s prisoners were spending more than 22 hours a day locked in their cells.
Resettlement/Release
Repeated
Pentonville continued to be an unsuitable place for young prisoners on remand to make meaningful change to their lives during their time in custody.
Resettlement/Release
Immediate releases from court due to long periods spent on remand, as well as transfers occurring during the last 12 weeks of sentence due to national population pressures, meant some prisoners were unable to access important pre-release support.
Estate/Conditions
Repeated
The conditions in which prisoners must live are inhumane and contribute to poor mental health, self-harm and violence. Will the Minister commit to improving the fabric of the prison?
Other
The proposal to merge IMBs with HMIP will remove the unique feature, valued by prisoners, of a truly independent body of people to both monitor prisoners’ welfare and address their individual concerns, every week of the year. Will the Minister explain how the proposed merger preserves this?
Education/Purposeful Activity
How can the Minister defend the significant cuts to the prison education provision made during this reporting year?
Resettlement/Release
When will His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) develop and resource a national strategy to meet the needs of young adult prisoners, many of whom are languishing on remand for long periods?
Other
Repeated
The 2022 Prisoners’ Property Policy Framework has made no noticeable difference to the management of prisoners’ property. When will this dysfunctional system be overhauled?
Resettlement/Release
Repeated
When will more spaces for prisoners convicted of sexual offences be available so they can move on quickly from unsuitable prisons such as Pentonville and start offending-behaviour courses?
Healthcare
Repeated
What will you do to increase allocations to the underused wellbeing centre, which has such a beneficial therapeutic impact on those who attend?
Equality/Diversity
By what date will the Pentonville equalities function be fully compliant with the Advancing Equality for Offenders and Children in Custody Policy Framework (implementation date 1 January 2025)? Without a regular equality forum and data scrutiny, disproportionality is harder to identify and challenge.