Lessons of HMP Oakwood must be learned for new prison
20 March 2015
In a report published Friday 20 March 2015, Parliament’s Welsh Affairs Committee says that the UK Government must learn lessons from HMP Oakwood and open the new North Wales Prison at Wrexham in stages depending on the progress it makes, rather than sticking to a timetable decided years in advance.
- Report: Prisons in Wales and the treatment of Welsh offenders
- Report: Prisons in Wales and the treatment of Welsh offenders (PDF 465KB)
- Inquiry: Prisons in Wales and the treatment of Welsh offenders
- Welsh Affairs Committee
The Committee found that Welsh prisons were generally performing better than their counterparts in England, despite being more overcrowded. With the new prison at Wrexham not due to open until 2017, the Committee says Government must take urgent action to reduce the severe overcrowding—particularly at HMP Cardiff and HMP Swansea—which prevents the effective rehabilitation of offenders.
Conclusions
The Committee also concludes that:
- Each of the three blocks at Wrexham should have its own identity and be run by a head of unit invested with significant autonomy and visibility.
- Data collected on Welsh speakers in prison needs to be improved. The Ministry of Justice, NOMS, the Welsh Language and HM Inspectorate of Prisons must work together to evaluate thoroughly the need for and quality of Welsh language support in prisons in England and Wales.
- Although criminal justice is currently the responsibility of the UK Government, the Welsh Government has significant responsibilities, particularly in the areas of health, education, housing and substance misuse.
- The rapid fall in the number of young Welsh people serving custodial sentences speaks volumes for the success of the approach taken by the Youth Justice Board.
David T.C. Davies MP, Chair of the Committee, said:
"We were pleased to find that prisons in Wales were performing better than prisons in England, despite being severely overcrowded. The new prison at Wrexham will go some way toward addressing the overcrowding of prisons in Wales, but it will not open until late 2017. If we are to learn the lessons of the past, it must be opened slowly and steadily. A successful opening should not be put at risk by pressure to realise the new capacity too quickly."