Inside HMP Wandsworth, the ‘squalid’ prison where Russell Brand is being held

Russell Brand is currently calling HMP Wandsworth home after the comedian and actor was convicted of rape and sexual assault.

Following a month-long trial, 51-year-old was found guilty of the charges involving four women between 2004 and 2009 — the period in which he was at the height of his fame.

The judge labelled the Brand a ‘sexual predator’ who told a ‘series of lies’ and displayed ‘staggering arrogance,’ claiming that his entourage also ‘indulged’ his ‘dreadful behavior.’

After Brand’s guilty verdict on November 5, he was taken to HMP Wandsworth, where he was held over the weekend, ahead of his sentencing yesterday. A judge handed him 10 years and six months before he was then transferred back after being sentenced.

While legal experts and reports suggest Brand is only expected to stay at the South London prison temporarily before being transferred to a permanent long-term facility, it’s no secret that HMP Wandsworth has a pretty sketchy reputation.

From being described as ‘squalid, unsafe and overcrowded,’ the Victorian-era slammer has also been alleged to have ‘inhumane living conditions.’

Here’s everything we know about HMP Wandsworth as Brand adjusts to his new life behind bars.

What’s the routine?

HMP Wandsworth is a Category B security prison built in 1851. It currently holds around 1,400 to 1,457 inmates, despite its 894-person capacity.

According to the BBC, every day is Groundhog Day for inmates. Prisoners reportedly spend between 22 and 23 hours a day in their cells as a result of overcrowding and staff shortages.

It’s thought that inmates typically wake at 7.45am, have breakfast, then spend the remainder of the day in their cells. This is except for a lunch break at 12.45pm and an evening meal at 4.45pm.

Under UK prison rules, prisoners are entitled to spend 30 minutes to an hour outside in the open air each day. However, at Wandsworth, this is often disrupted due to said lack of staff and overcrowding issues.

A bad reputation

There are a multitude of reasons HMP Wandsworth has a particularly bad rep. So much so that Brand spent his first night in prison in solitary confinement as he faced ‘real danger’ from other inmates.

But first there’s the severe overcrowding, as roughly 80% of prisoners share single-occupancy cells, living in cramped conditions.

An inspection in 2024 led Charlie Taylor, HM Chief Inspector of Prisons, to write to the then Secretary of State, invoking an urgent notification for improvement.

The report stated living conditions were extremely poor, with damaged flooring and furniture, broken windows and leaking fixtures.

Additionally, it was reported that many cells had no screening around the toilet, despite holding two men.

The inspection also uncovered over 900 outstanding jobs in its facilities log, and recorded the prison as being dirty with vermin problems. Rat faeces were found in the showers, while mouse droppings were located in food areas.

While Brand’s first night’s prison food was reportedly ‘inedible,’ it’s actually the safety aspect he’ll likely be worried about. Over the years, HMP Wandsworth has faced high levels of violence, from assaults to self-harm incidents.

The 2024 report also noted that the prison had recorded 10 self-inflicted deaths since the last inspection, seven of which had taken place in the last 12 months.

Plus, 40% of emergency cell bells were found to not be answered within five minutes, even though there was an increased rate of self-harm. More than half of prisoners also said it was easy to get access to drugs.

Finally, HMP Wandsworth also faces the aforementioned staff shortages. Roughly one-third of employees are regularly off or unavailable on any given day due to sickness, training, or other non-operational reasons, according to a 2022 report.

Meanwhile, in 2025, it was reported that HMP Wandsworth had the worst levels of staff sickness across major London prisons. In terms of the rest of the UK, data found that Wandsworth had the fourth-highest outturn for staff sickness at 17.1%. The average across England and Wales was 11.02%.

The report also found that the prison was often managed by fewer than 85 officers. This means there is approximately one staff member for every 18 inmates.

Previous troubles

A 2022 report published by Taylor found that these issues are nothing new.

Taylor stated that ‘there were not enough staff to make sure prisoners received even the most basic regime,’ and that the prison complex was ‘crumbling and overcrowded.’

He said: ‘Prisoners could often go several days without a shower. Despite efforts to control vermin, there was still a major problem with rats, mice and pigeons.’

In terms of previous events, on September 6, 2023, former British Army soldier Daniel Khalife escaped from HMP Wandsworth.

The now-25-year-old strapped himself to the underside of a food delivery truck and left the prison kitchen using a makeshift sling made from kitchen trousers. His escape triggered a nationwide manhunt, but he was recaptured 75 hours later.

In November 2024, Khalife pleaded guilty to escaping custody and was found guilty of spying for Iranian intelligence. In February 2025, he was sentenced to 14 years and 3 months in prison.

His escape exposed deep vulnerabilities in the facility and triggered intense scrutiny, government reviews, and security overhauls across the UK prison estate.

This included CCTV cameras that had been broken for over a year, and vehicle-search procedures, like checking underneath delivery trucks, that were skipped or poorly executed.

High-profile inmates

Russell Brand isn’t the only high-profile individual or celebrity to be incarcerated at HMP Wandsworth. Over the years, the high-security prison has seen plenty of famous faces.

This includes Boris Becker, the former tennis star, who in 2022 spent some time in Wandsworth following his conviction and sentencing for hiding assets during bankruptcy proceedings.

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange was also held at Wandsworth during parts of his protracted legal and extradition battles.

Back in November 1956, Ronnie Kray was sent to the prison to serve a three-year sentence for a pub assault.

A different Ronnie — Ronnie Biggs of the Great Train Robbery fame — was also an inmate a few years later in 1963. However, he famously escaped in 1965 using a rope ladder.

Disgraced pop singer and convicted sex offender Gary Glitter was remanded in custody at HMP Wandsworth in February 2015 following his conviction for historical child sex offenses, before being transferred to another prison a month later.

Plus, Oscar Wilde was an OG Victorian prisoner. The renowned playwright and poet was transferred to Wandsworth in 1895 following his conviction for gross indecency.