As this report shows, almost two thirds of Welsh offenders are being held in Wales and 70% of all offenders held in Wales had an address in Wales prior to entering custody.
In referring to the extent of distance problems facing Welsh people in prisons, it provides the example of male offenders from Flintshire being held at 44 different prisons in England.
However, over three quarters of these are imprisoned adjacent in North West England and over 40% in nearby HMP Altcourse.
On my previous visits to HMP Altcourse I have seen the targeted work of their North Wales resettlement unit.
Of course, it would be prejudicial and counterproductive if offenders were segregated according to where they previously lived.
Further, such an approach would not take account of the practical considerations applying when decisions are made about where a prisoner is to be held.
Our amendments therefore notes the UK Government's agenda on prison reform, and recognises the need for a UK-wide solution to the issues identified in this Wales Governance’.
The UK Government’s reforms are not about increasing capacity, but about replacing ageing and ineffective prisons with buildings fit for today’s demands.
Contrary to the Wales Governance Centre’s Report, the UK Government does not continue “to place faith in the ‘one size fits all’ model of the ‘super prison’”.
For example Berwyn Prison Wrexham, a training and resettlement prison, is divided into three houses, each divided into eight communities – plus a care and support unit.
In terms of distance travelled HMP Berwyn, is 152 miles from Pembroke, 140 from Cardiff, 81 from Aberystwyth, 77 from Caernarfon, 70 from Birmingham, 54 from Manchester, 40 from Liverpool and 13 from Chester.
Following his recent visit to Berwyn, Labour’s Wrexham MP Ian Lucas, stated that he was “very pleased that there were constructive signs for the future”.
He also reported that the constructive work taking place in the prison had included offenders “working on different projects, such as conducting phone surveys and other meaningful work, which can only help in providing training for jobs when sentences end”.
He added that he was “delighted” that the kitchen service had been helping in the community with voluntary projects and that “particularly outstanding was the garden work”.
Instead of 5 community prisons for women in England and Wales, the UK Government has announced that it will trial 5 residential centres to help women offenders with issues, such as finding work and drug rehabilitation, where those on community sentences are less likely to commit further crimes than those who have served short jail terms.
As the Executive Director of HM Prison and Probation Service for Wales told the Welsh Affairs Select Committee last month “we do not have the provision in Wales to deal with lots of different things”… for example “we do not have anywhere to put high-security offenders or anywhere to house terrorists”.
She added “we have a system in England and Wales that is not designed solely on the basis of geographical location. It is also designed on the basis of the needs of the prisoner, and they can be geographically dispersed. You have to weigh—what the regime, the provision and the intervention are that you want to give the individual, versus closeness to home”.
“You cannot compare all prisons to all prisons; you have to do prisons in comparator groups... both Swansea and Cardiff are performing better than their comparator groups against safety and order. On self-harm and violence, both Swansea and Cardiff are performing better. Usk and Prescoed have some of the best levels of performance in their systems”.
Most of Wales’ population lives near England and Criminal activity does not recognise national boundaries.
Scottish prison services are devolved, but the issues they face are broadly similar to those outlined in the report. Scotland’s Chief Inspector of Prison highlighted recently an increase in instances of psychoactive substances, a lack of capacity within treatment programmes, and work needed to reduce female prisoners in custody.
Unlike English prisons, Welsh prisons do not offer integrated drug treatment.
Welsh Government is also responsible for health and education of offenders within the Welsh prison estate. Yet the report does not include outcomes for offenders on the Welsh estate, nor of Welsh prisoners who are in English prisons.
AND the ridiculousness of calls for the criminal justice system to be devolved are exposed by the First Minister’s claim “that dangerous offenders could be sent across the UK after devolution, to address the lack of category A prisons in Wales.”