The Independent Monitoring Board’s (IMB’s) most recent yearly evaluation determined that population demands and overcrowding put “tremendous strain” on every aspect of adult prison life.
It stated that Victorian prisons, such as HMP Winchester, were in “particularly dire” condition due to the age of the structures and the fact that they have a reception function where offenders first enter the prison.
According to the report, this made maintaining “functional and decent” facilities more challenging.
“At Winchester, there were multiple occasions throughout the year when prisoners were able to damage and try to dig through cell.
