January – Our first WPIC meeting, following Liz Bridge’s talk to Wandsworth Quakers the previous month. The steering group is formed and starts work
February –We decide to call ourselves Wandsworth Prison Improvement Campaign, we start writing PQs, contacting local MPs and set up on X (@WandsworthPIC). Liz lights the blue touch paper with her first interview on Channel 4 News. We hold our first meeting with our wider group of supporters and make contact with the Prison Reform Trust, the Howard League and the Prison Officers Association. We meet with (then) Opposition spokespersons for criminal justice, Lord Ponsonby and Ruth Cadbury.
March – We begin by highlighting our 5 immediate asks: clean pants, access to books, a plan to deal with vermin, hot water and showers and getting medication and to medical appointments. Liz is interviewed by Inside Times and her exclusion from all prisons for the next 5 years is covered in Private Eye.
April – Our first public meeting is attended by over 250 people and broadcasted by Channel 4 News. We launch our website.
May- Wandsworth has a full inspection after which the Governor, Katie Price, resigns and an Urgent Notification is issued, with Charlie Taylor highlighting “a degree of despondency amongst prisoners that I have not come across in my time as Chief Inspector.” We urge Edward Argar, the Minister for Prisons, to make sure that vital changes are funded and carried through. Liz speaks on BBC Radio 4 about the inspection report.
June - A new Governor, Andy Davy, is appointed. We set up our Facebook group to reflect our increasing contact with families and our growing awareness of their crucial role. We lobby for prison reform during the election period and meet Tom Wheatley, President of the Prison Governors Association, and Adrian Usher, the Prison Ombudsman. Sheila Hancock, one of our strongest supporters writes about our campaign in Prospect.
July - Immediately after the election, the new government acknowledges the crisis in our prisons by announcing a scheme for early release and appointing James Timpson as the Minister for Prisons, Probation and Reoffending. We attend our first Wandsworth inquest and learn what actually happens in the prison. We write a guide to handing in clothes at Wandsworth which is the most popular hit on our website.
August - We write to the Secretary of State to acknowledge her strong message on improving conditions in Wandsworth and setting out what outcomes we want to see. The full Action Plan for Wandsworth is published. We start a conversation with the Care Quality Commission and the Health Services Safety Investigations Body, and have our first meeting with the new Governor, Andy Davy.
September – We start handing out cards to families at visiting times and hear their experiences of visiting Wandsworth, including a woman asked to remove a prosthetic breast in the Visits Hall. We report back to the Governor, who follows up on these. We also meet with John Podmore, former prison governor and publish our reflections on our second inquest of a man who died of heatstroke in December.
October - Liz speaks at the ’Transforming criminal justice, People, Prevention and Prisons’ forum alongside former Chief Inspectors and leading charity CEOs. David Gauke is named as head of the Sentencing Review and we start thinking about our response. WPIC Steering Group meets the Governor, Andy Davy.
November - We meet Charlie Taylor, Chief Inspector of Prisons and attend Rona Epstein’s book launch “Voices from the Inside”. To reflect our increasing focus on contracting and nailing down the £100 million extra funding promised for Wandsworth, we write a detailed letter to Phil Copple, Director General Operations at HMPPS (and still await a response) and also raise our concerns about contracting with the National Audit Office. Committees in both the House of Lords and the House of Commons begin inquiries on prisons.
December - We meet Josh Babarinde MP, Liberal-Democrat Spokesman for Justice. We have our second full meeting with Andy Davy and have an insightful discussion on the contracts to refurbish the wings. We start on our evidence for the Lords' and Commons’ inquiries into prison culture and governance.
Summary
During 2024 the shocking conditions at Wandsworth Prison were exposed by Liz Bridge, Channel 4 News and the Chief Inspector of Prisons. In response, WPIC continues to put pressure on those who have power or influence to make safety and decency at Wandsworth Prison their priority. We have been pleased at the number of people who have been prepared to give us time and listen to us, the exception being HM Prison and Probation Service. Many have told us that what we are doing is unique as a community-based campaign focused on our local prison.
The state of our prisons has risen up the political agenda with Wandsworth frequently used as an example. We have a new governor who is talking to us and is committed to improvements. We wait to see if conditions for prisoners, staff and visitors finally improve in 2025.