Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what facilities are available for prisoners at HMP Wandsworth to participate in acts of worship.

HMP Wandsworth is a large, diverse London prison catering for approximately 1620 men and comprising two units, a B-category local prison and a C-category resettlement unit. The religious affiliation of these prisoners is similarly diverse and is supported by a large multi-faith chaplaincy team. Recent HMIP inspections of the prison have given positive reports of chaplaincy provision and access to religious services.

The prison has a good range and quality of religious space that allows each faith group to meet regularly in suitable surroundings. These include a designated mosque, a church and two multi-faith chaplaincy rooms that are adaptable and used by the Sikh, Hindu, Buddhist, Jewish, Orthodox and Jehovah Witness faith communities.

All prisoners are seen on arrival by the chaplaincy team and their religious affiliation ascertained. For the smaller faith groups, prisoners will be followed up by the individual chaplains and invited to a weekly time of worship. All faith groups have at least a minimum of one hour of weekly corporate worship and the offer of additional religious classes. For Christian and Muslim denominations, because of the substantial numbers involved, prisoners are asked to request whether they would like to attend a weekly time of worship.