Prisoners given 10,000 extra days for breaking rules
EXTRA time given to prisoners in Wales for breaking prison rules last year amounted to a total of 28 years.
According to new figures, a total of 10,341 extra days of imprisonment were handed out to those serving time in Welsh prisons.
Across England and Wales, almost 290,000 additional days of imprisonment were handed down to prisoners in 2016 – a rise of 75% in the past two years.
The statistics were published by the Howard League for Penal Reform, as part of a report examining how prisons respond to behaviour.
They also revealed the extra days of imprisonment imposed in 2016 would cost the taxpayer about £27m.
Frances Cook, chief executive of the Howard League for Penal Reform, said: “Prisons are out of control. More people than ever before are losing their lives to suicide, and violence and selfinjury are at record levels. The adjudications system has become a monster that is making these problems worse.
“It is surely time to follow the example set in Scotland, where scrapping additional days’ imprisonment has made prisons fairer and safer. There are more constructive ways to deal with misbehaviour than simply locking up people for longer, which puts even more pressure on the system.
“Bold but sensible action to reduce the prison population would save lives and prevent more people being swept into deeper currents of crime, violence, and despair.”
The Welsh prison which imposed the most extra time for prisoners breaking prison rules last year was HMP Parc in Bridgend with 6,293 days.
This was followed by HMP Cardiff with 2,829 days and HMP Swansea with 1,219 days HMP Usk and its satellite prison HMP Prescoed were the only Welsh prisons not to have added on extra time to prisoners’ sentences.
The Howard League for Penal Reform claims that additional days of imprisonment are imposed arbitrarily in Wales and England, and that the severity of the punishment varies from prison to prison, creating a sense of unfairness and injustice.
A spokesman from the charity said: “Scrapping the imposition of additional days of imprisonment in England and Wales would stop a vicious cycle. Currently punishments pile more pressure on the prison population and worsen overcrowding, which in turn creates conditions for drug abuse, violence and other types of misbehaviour.”
A Prison Service spokesman said: “The prison discipline system upholds justice in prisons, ensures actions have consequences and empowers governors to make the right judgements for their circumstances and their prisons
“The vast majority of offenders leave prison without serving a single additional day. But the public and our hardworking staff rightly expect that those prisoners who choose to break the rules, making life more difficult for staff and other offenders or putting their safety at risk, should face the consequences.
“Where this amounts to a criminal offence, prisoners will be referred to the police.”
The Ministry of Justice was asked to comment.