PA MediaA cockroach-infested prison that illegally detained inmates for longer than their release date in “frightening conditions” has been put into special measures.
Chief inspector of prisons Charlie Taylor served an urgent notification on HMP Pentonville in Islington, north London, after an inspection discovered many inmates had been kept there after they should have been freed because staff “failed to calculate sentences accurately”.
The watchdog said data showed 130 inmates, 20% of those eligible for release, had been held after their release date in the past six months.
The Minister for Prisons, Lord Timpson, said: “The team is already working to urgently address the concerns raised.”
“We will publish an action plan in the coming weeks to support them in these efforts,” he said.
Mr Taylor said: “The government needs to take action very quickly.
“In effect, people are being illegally imprisoned by the state because the prison is failing to calculate their sentence properly.
“The secretary of state has 28 days in which to reply to my letter with an action plan about what they’re going to do about Pentonville.”
‘Shocking failures’
The watchdog also found 10 inmates had been released early “in error” between July 2024 and June 2025.
In a letter to the justice secretary, the chief inspector said arrangements for new prisoners’ induction and first night at the jail were “chaotic and even frightening”.
Men were held in dirty cells missing bedding, furniture, telephones and pillows, the watchdog said, while the majority of prisoners were locked in their cells for more than 22 hours a day.
The report also said 60% of prisoners at the Category B prison were sharing cells that were designed for one person, and there was a widespread infestation of mice and cockroaches.
Inspectors took emergency action after they found oversight of prisoners under constant supervision was “shockingly poor”. One prison officer was found asleep, two were reading books and another was “completely absent”.
The “unacceptable practices” in the care of prisoners under constant supervision was a particular concern for inspectors, given that there were three suicides at the jail in 2025.
‘Rallying cry’
Mr Taylor said: “Pentonville is an overcrowded, inner-city, Victorian prison with a record of poor performance over many years.
“Too many of its staff have become disillusioned about the possibility of improvement or their capacity to effect change.
“Yet many of its shocking failures are firmly within the control of leaders.”
He added: “The governor will need significant support and investment from HM Prison and Probation Service to strengthen his senior leadership team, refocus on the basics and put in place effective oversight and assurance systems to turn this failing prison around.
“We will be back at the jail within a year and we will want to see substantial improvements to the safety of prisoners but also that some of the basics, like sentence calculation, are being done right.”
Pentonville is the 10th prison to be issued with an urgent notification since November 2022.
In response to the chief inspector’s findings, a Prison Reform Trust spokesperson said: “This urgent notification must be a rallying cry for immediate action – fix the failing infrastructure, improve staff training, and treat prisoners with dignity.”
Lord Timpson added: “This government will end the chaos we inherited in our jails. We are building 14,000 new prison places and reforming sentencing so our jails reduce reoffending, cut crime and keep victims safe.”
