Remarkable results at Parc

THE Government is introducing new legislation to revamp the prisons system and revolutionise courts, with a new focus on rehabilitation and tackling reoffending.

I spoke about the excellent work taking place at Parc Prison in Bridgend during the Second Reading of the Bill. Parc has developed a sector-leading family interventions unit as well as a focus on education and drug abuse to help reduce reoffending.

Parc’s Invisible Walls Wales programme takes a pioneering approach to rehabilitation with families, transforming family engagement. A total of 69% of prisoners receive regular family contact at Parc compared to 48% across the rest of the prison estate.

The results have been remarkable. Evidence shows that people who maintain links with families in prison are 52% less likely to reoffend. Reoffending costs around £15bn a year, so I asked the Secretary of State to visit Parc to understand the innovative work. The Justice Select Committee have since confirmed a visit.

Parc was the first prison in the EU to achieve an “Investors in Families” charter mark and has an outstanding record of success in the Koestler Trust prison art awards. Their work has been exported internationally.

I despair at the negative publicity we tend to get in the national media so to be able to highlight the work at Parc was a pleasure. It is life-changing and is the sort of rehabilitation I hope will roll out across the prison estate.