Jail alternatives in focus as ‘rehabilitation vital’
Former convicts have dismissed the idea of new so-called super-prisons like the one controversially planned for Baglan, near Port Talbot, claiming they just don’t work. Oliver Roderick reports...
FORMER prison inmates have echoed calls from Aberavon MP Stephen Kinnock for the Ministry of Justice to reconsider plans for a new superprison at Baglan.
They were speaking at a meeting about the Baglan prison proposals, at which Mr Kinnock also spoke.
Concerns have previously been raised that the proposed prison site is located on a zone at high risk from flooding and also that it is too close to neighbouring schools.
Guest speaker Cody Lachey described how he got caught up in gang life and associated with notorious criminals the Noonan brothers.
The 33-year-old was first imprisoned for witness intimidation before a number of other jail terms, but talked of how he believed that the prison system in itself was not effective.
“When you go to prison, you should be given tools to prepare you to prosper when you get out; saving the taxpayer money by reducing the likelihood of reoffenders,” he said.
“Prisons don’t work – they just dehumanise people. With fewer police on the streets today, prison should be the last line of defence, when there are no other options of rehabilitation.
“It’s my feeling that the Ministry of Justice want to enforce a prison on the Aberavon area, when they should be putting the money into the restructuring of prisons and not waste any more of taxpayers’ money when there’s no aim of letting prisoners out.
“They have to be asked, ‘how does it benefit Baglan?’ I only see it as the area being used as a dumping ground for prisoners. Policing and justice should be devolved to Wales.”
Michaela Booth, a single mother, has also turned to public speaking since her time in prison. She spent two years on bail before being sent down for four years following a nightclub altercation when she was just 19 years old. She is now the other side of her prison time and is looking forward to starting studying for a degree at university in September.
“We need to not build any prisons until prisons work,” she said. “Prison doesn’t work for most prisoners, who are likely to be drug addicts and people suffering from mental health issues.
“My mother had a drug addiction and it of course influenced my growing up – but when I turn from a little girl into a woman, the concern for me seems to just go away, and I’m basically left to fend for myself.
“A lot of the things I had to go through to prove I was ready to leave prison were unnecessary. They put me through tests which asked if I was likely to act indecently around children, and other questions where you think, ‘how is this going to benefit me?’
“I’m lucky I did have a support network, because had it not been for prison I would have been left homeless and unemployed after it. Other girls will be less fortunate. If prison had its way, I’d be in the system forever.”
Stephen Kinnock said: “It seems to me that there are two battles to be fought; one is over the future of our prison system, because it’s clear that it’s not working and I agree that the system is broken.
“We have far too little attention on rehabilitation. There needs to be action taken before they come out to ensure that it’s not a revolving door.
“My personal view is that we should be looking much more at tagging; I think that more electronic tags, which enable people to be at home and working with very clear GPS signalling on them, with a six o’clock curfew, is the way forward. You just have to look at some European countries who make use of it to see that they have had really positive results.
“The second battle to be fought is the specific proposal to build a prison on the site in Baglan. That proposal is flawed for three reasons; firstly because it’s an enterprise zone, which is meant to be a good, vibrant centre of business-based activity.
“I also have real concerns about the health and safety of prisoners on that site; we all know that traffic in that area is heavy, so if something were to kick off at a rush hour, the emergency services wouldn’t be able to get there and the health and safety of prison officers would be seriously at risk.
“The third major challenge is that the site is a flood plan, so to choose that site to build a base for something as heavy as a prison is just beyond belief.
“I’ve exchanged many letters with Prisons Minister Sam Gyimah; he told me that the old Felindre site of the tinplate works was a close second to Baglan, but I don’t understand why it wasn’t in first place, because it ticks so many boxes which Baglan doesn’t.
“I hope the Ministry of Justice will reconsider.”
Claire Melville, who organised the event, held at the Thomas Arms in Llanelli, said the aim was to highlight the work of those behind a petition to stop the government’s plans to establish the prison.
“It was to raise awareness of the petition among the MPs and AMs in attendance, who we feel are in a position to do something about it,” she said.
“We were able to present real people with real stories who have been there themselves, so these people know what they’re talking about.”
Politicians and local dignitaries were in attendance as a series of speakers outlined their opposition to plans for the proposed prison in Baglan.
A Ministry of Justice spokesman said this week: “Public protection is our top priority and temporary release is only granted to offenders who pass a thorough risk assessment.
“As part of the planning application and consultation processes, we will fully engage with the local community as we develop plans for a new prison in Port Talbot.
“We are investing £1.3bn to modernise the prison estate, closing older prisons that are not fit for purpose and creating in their place high-quality, modern establishments.”