A charity that campaigns to help prisoners rebuild their lives has slammed "shocking and abhorrent" conditions at HMP Pentonville.

The Ministry of Justice has also responded to the Independent Monitoring Board's (IMB) concerns over safety and living conditions HMP Pentonville.

The IMB report for 2023-24 raised concerns about safety, living conditions, and rehabilitation opportunities.

It highlighted a 13 per cent rise in self-harm incidents and a 28 per cent increase in violence, with gang-related conflicts contributing to instability.

The IMB report also identified overcrowded cells, pest infestations, and limited access to showers for some prisoners as problems.

Nacro CEO Campbell Robb said: "The failings of the prison extend to the most basic standards of decency. It is shocking to read of rats and cockroach infestations in HMP Pentonville and yet such findings are becoming more frequent across the prison estate.

"The fact that people in prison are kept in such abhorrent conditions ought to be a damning indictment of our criminal justice system."

The report described limited mental health services due to a shortage of secure hospital beds.

How prisoners are rehabilitated and moved on was also a point of concern, with education programmes underused due to issues like staff shortages.

The IMB called for improved facilities and access for prisoners with disabilities and a strategy for better managing vulnerable prisoner populations.

He added: "The most recent IMB Report on HMP Pentonville reveals the distressing reality of life for people inside a prison system on the brink of collapse.

"It is of serious concern that the widespread and systemic failures documented in this report are inhibiting efforts to rehabilitate people in prison.

"This report ought to serve as an urgent reminder that if we want to reduce crime and create safer communities for us all, rehabilitation must be the focus for people sentenced to prison."

The Ministry of Justice said resources within the safer custody team have been ringfenced to improve safety outcomes.

It stated that all prisoners now have daily access to showers, regardless of their Incentives and Earned Privileges (IEP) status.

A robust pest control programme has also been implemented, particularly after the kitchen refurbishment.

An MoJ spokesperson said: "The new Government inherited a justice system in crisis and has been forced to take action across the prison estate so we can continue to lock up dangerous offenders, protect the public, and make prisons safer for hard-working staff.

"HMP Pentonville has taken swift action to address the issues raised, including ensuring the safer custody team has the resources it needs, getting all prisoners access to showers, tackling vermin, and improving self-harm risk assessments."