The Governor of HMP Wandsworth failed to appear at a public meeting last night organised by the Wandsworth Prison Improvement Campaign (WPIC), fuelling widespread frustration and anger over what campaigners describe as a culture of secrecy and evasion within the prison system.
The WPIC had invited Governor Andy Davy to speak publicly about conditions inside the troubled Category B prison and the progress officials claim to have made since last year’s damning inspection. He initially agreed, but organisers informed attendees at the start of the meeting that he had pulled out the day before, saying only that he had been instructed not to attend by his superiors. No reason was given. Instead, a private meeting has been arranged between him and WPIC representatives.
Campaigners said the last-minute withdrawal—without any replacement speaker—perfectly illustrated the very problems they had convened to discuss: a lack of transparency, a refusal to engage with the public, and the persistent absence of accountability at every level of the prison service.
The meeting, held at a packed St Anne’s Church in Wandsworth and just minutes from the prison, was attended by bereaved families, former prisoners, campaigners, legal and criminal justice professionals, and concerned residents. Many in the room were seeking answers and justice after losing loved ones behind bars. Others came to demand meaningful change at one of the UK’s most notorious prisons.
Questioning the official line
Among them was the mother of Will Pladstow, a current prisoner whose diary documenting daily life inside Wandsworth was recently published. Her testimony stood in stark contrast to the official narrative of progress. She said the conditions her son described—prolonged cell confinement, lack of meaningful activity, and poor hygiene—directly contradicted claims by the prison that things were improving. She accused the governor of misleading the public.
WPIC also raised pressing questions about the £100 million pledged by the government last year to improve Wandsworth and other failing prisons. Organisers said they had spent months trying to find out how much of that money had been allocated to Wandsworth specifically, and how it was being spent—but had received no clear answers. The group said the lack of financial transparency was deeply troubling, particularly in a facility where basic needs remain unmet and death rates are rising.
Indeed, the meeting repeatedly returned to the prison’s shocking death toll. In a stark moment, the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman—a former senior police detective—explained that for a prison the size of Wandsworth, the expected number of deaths by suicide each year is around three. Last year, there were eleven.
He also reflected on a troubling culture among some prison officers: in a policing context, he noted, officers who falsified records or failed to perform welfare checks—particularly in the lead-up to a death—would likely face disciplinary action or even public scandal. In prison, these actions often go unchallenged.
New chief inspector report due
The meeting came just weeks ahead of a new report expected from the Chief Inspector of Prisons. His 2024 inspection had delivered a blistering verdict on Wandsworth, describing it as a place of “deaths, drugs and despair,” where prisoners were held in squalid conditions with little access to healthcare, rehabilitation or even basic dignity. With another report due later this month, campaigners say they are bracing for more grim revelations—and fear that, once again, little will be done in response.
Representatives at the meeting pointed to some statistical improvements: an 18% fall in prisoner-on-prisoner assaults, a 20% reduction in recorded incidents of self-harm, and updates to prison infrastructure and requisitioning systems. But these claims were met with deep scepticism from both the audience and panellists, many of whom said they were not reflected in what they or their loved ones were experiencing on the ground.
One campaigner described how families were often left chasing basic information after a death in custody, sometimes waiting months for answers. Others spoke about the dehumanising effect of prolonged cell confinement—often 23 hours a day—and the complete absence of education, employment or rehabilitation for many prisoners.
Despite the anger and grief expressed throughout the evening, the meeting also showcased pockets of progress. Speakers highlighted examples of good prison officers, creative education projects, and rehabilitation schemes that could be expanded. But there was broad agreement that the system’s problems run deep—and that without radical change, any improvement would remain fragile and uneven.
Ongoing efforts
WPIC concluded the meeting by urging the public to stay engaged and apply pressure where it counts: on MPs, ministers, and prison leaders. They called again for an independent oversight body with real teeth, greater investment in staffing and training, and above all, a culture shift towards openness and responsibility.
“This isn’t about one bad headline,” one campaigner said after the meeting. “It’s about lives. It’s about justice. And it’s about stopping the same mistakes from killing more people.”
The Wandsworth Prison Improvement Campaign continues to seek public support through its website and community outreach, and has vowed to keep pursuing transparency over both the £100 million funding promise and the outcomes of the upcoming Chief Inspector’s report.
