Research carried out by the office of Plaid Cymru’s Leanne Wood has uncovered increasing levels of violence at Wales’ only private jail.
At Parc Prison in Bridgend, 189 fights among inmates were recorded in 2009 compared to just seven in HMP Swansea, and less than five apiece in Usk/Prescoed prison and HMP Cardiff. There was a further 30 incidents at Parc in 2009 involving ‘multiple known assailants,’ 97 incidents involving ‘single known assailants’ and 56 incidents with ‘unknown assailants.’
With the prison recording 56 fights in 2000, the latest figures indicate that fights have more than trebled in less than a decade at Parc.
Assaults on prison staff were also much higher in Parc Prison than at any of the other Welsh jail with 49 recorded in 2009 at the hands of ‘single known assailants’ and 14 at the hands of ‘unknown assailants.’ During the same year at HMP Cardiff, eight attacks were recorded involving a ‘single known assailants,’ and none at the hands of ‘unknown assailants.’ Less than five were recorded for both categories at HMP Swansea and none at Usk/Prescoed prisons.
The figures were supplied by the Ministry of Justice in response to a Freedom of Information request.
Parc Prison is run by G4S who were recently criticised in reports into the Brook House immigration removal centre at Gatwick Airport and HMP Wolds in Yorkshire. Brook House was found to be “fundamentally unsafe” according to Chief Prisons Inspector, Anne Owers, who also said it had produced the “worst ever results.” In a separate report, the prison watchdog concluded HMP Wolds had failed to deal with violent incidents.
Ms Wood, who worked as a probation officer before being elected to represent the South Wales Central region at the Welsh Assembly said: “The extent of violence at Parc Prison is very disturbing. These figures paint an emphatic picture of frequent fighting at the prison.
“From speaking to people involved in the Prison Officers’ Union, I know there are concerns about low-staffing levels at the prison, overcrowding and a high turnover of staff. If this is the case, then it should be looked at immediately in order to try and make the prison a safer place.”
Ms Wood and her Plaid Cymru colleagues have regularly called for the responsibilities over the police force, probation, prisons and courts in Wales to be devolved to the Assembly Government.
She added: “Prison is not only meant to punish offenders but also rehabilitate them and I question whether any such programmes within the jail can have the maximum affect if there is a culture of violence at Parc.”
