A LACK of leadership and morale at an all-time low – that is how an insider has described a Hampshire prison which has seen four deaths in the space of two months.

Mohamed Emamy-Foroushani, 40, became the fourth inmate to die at Winchester Prison this summer, following Daryl Hargrave, Jason Payne and fathers’ rights campaigner Haydn Burton.

The deaths come after the Daily Echo reported how the Independent Monitoring Board raised fears about an atmosphere of gang culture and increased boredom on some wings at the jail.

The IMB said the Category B jail is “very much a work in progress, and much remains to be done” in December.

The report noted concerns over lack of staff as the ratio between officers and inmates dropped from one to 22 to one to 30 to one.

A source at the prison told the Daily Echo how senior staff were only seen by officers when there was a death at the prison and added that staff morale is at an all-time low and has called for more to be done by senior management.

The source said: “Experienced staff have been replaced with new staff and morale is at an all time low, the only time senior management come out of their offices is when there has been a death in custody. I think when you have a work force that is disinterested and feels unsupported it is hard to give as much to the job and do it to the best of your ability."

“The senior management need to show leadership they need to be there when things get difficult like they have been, and staff want to see senior management showing them support and being part of the team they lead.

“It is a them and us situation at the moment, and that in some small way may have contributed to the deaths this year.”

He said that working conditions are being picked up by inmates, who are using the lack of staff morale to their advantage.

The source added:“There are almost 700 prisoners in Winchester Prisons and they have nothing to do all day and they can work out when staff are having a hard time and they look for things to exploit.”

According to the Prison Officers Association (POA) working conditions in prisons nationally have deteriorated and have seen a rise in violence towards staff and inmates.

The POA say serious assaults between inmates is up 38 per cent in the last year, and has assaults on staff are up by 48 per cent.

A spokesman said the deaths at Winchester prison were part of a wider problem in jails across the UK.

He said: “The number of deaths in such a short time is unusual but not unique. We have had a number of prisons experience similar tragic situations.

He added that budget cuts, staff under pressure, increased violence between prisoners and against staff form part of the problem and also added that the use of legal highs may be a ‘contributory’ factor.

Prison reform groups have also spoken of their concerns about the deaths.

Winchester Prison governor David Rogers said: "The staff working at HMP Winchester are dedicated and hard-working. My team of governors and senior team are visible within the prison – ready to listen and talk to staff or prisoners about matters that may concern them.

“We have increased staff training opportunities, including mental health training, to develop their careers and have recently recruited a number of new officers."

The Howard League for Penal Reform say the prison has a ‘near impossible’ task to keep inmates safe while coping with increased prisoner numbers and staff cuts.

Chief executive, Frances Crook said: “It is deeply concerning that four people have died in one prison in only two months. Winchester faces the near-impossible task of keeping people safe while struggling to cope with rising prisoner numbers, chronic overcrowding and deep staff cuts.”

While Prison Reform Trust director, Juliet Lyon, said: “Every death is a tragedy for the families and staff involved.

“Despite some success in reducing the number of deaths by suicide in prison over the last few years, and the invaluable support of Samaritan Listeners and safer custody staff, last year saw a record number of deaths, and over a third were self-inflicted.

“Massive cuts in staffing, increased violence and the use of pyschoactive drugs have all taken their toll. The mainstay of any prison system is ensuring that people stay safe and are treated humanely—Ministers must heed the warning signs, and roll back this rising tide.”

Winchester MP Steve Brine said “Any death on the secure estate is a human tragedy and, rightly, subject to a formal inquiry.

“I speak regularly to the governor at HMP Winchester and to the prisons minister inside government because this is an area of policy I am especially interested in.

“We have of course had the Harris Review earlier this year, which was an independent panel on deaths in custody, and the Secretary of State must now work across Government to see prison is a place of last resort and its recommendations are taken seriously.”