New figures reveal dire state of prisons in Wales
THE dire circumstances inside Welsh prisons have been laid bare in damning new figures.
Decades added to sentences, thousands of self-harming incidents and conditions too crowded for all the inmates to shower are just some of the findings.
An examination of 12 months of reports and data reveals the failings of a system which critics have described as “fetid”.
In July the Ministry of Justice released figures which showed there were at least 113 serious assaults resulting in injuries against staff in 2018.
That is up from 106 in 2017 and 93 in 2016, when comparable records began.
At Parc Prison there were 21 instances where staff were bitten, 26 black eyes and 24 injuries that were so bad they needed stitches.
Eight fractured bones were recorded at Berwyn Prison, seven cuts needed stitches and there were nine instances of bad bruising against staff.
At Cardiff Prison staff were given 10 black eyes and eight bad bruises.
These figures look small when compared to violence inmates inflict on each other.
There were a total of 1,640 assaults recorded across prisons in Wales in 2018 – yet again, the highest number since modern records began.
Disturbances are becoming increasingly common.
A recent Cardiff University study found that despite holding just 2% of the total prison population in Wales and England, 9.3% of all prison disturbances were recorded at HMP Parc in 2018.
Carwyn Jones AM, whose constituency includes Parc, said: “I remember when Parc Prison first opened and it had a very difficult birth, with many in the local community sceptical.
“Over the years it won the confidence of the local population. However, figures like these are very concerning. The prison has many dedicated staff and it is essential that the management at the prison deal with these issues.”
Another shocking statistic reveals the degree to which prisoners are prepared to harm themselves.
There were 3,016 occasions when inmates harmed themselves in Welsh jails in the 12 months to March this year. That equates to 250 incidents a month.
The issue of self-harm can be a complicated one to measure, as some of these issues could have been in place long before the people were behind bars.
Madeleine Moon is the MP for Bridgend, where Parc Prison is located.
She said: “I work very closely with Parc Prison and follow up inspection reports with management there.
“Together we have arranged for Swansea University to conduct research into self-harm issues within the prison estate to identify improved ways of addressing a problem that had been identified.
“I’m have always been impressed with the unique work staff do at Parc with families, exmilitary and opening educational opportunities.
“I will meet with the director of the prison to discuss the Cardiff University study.”
Prisoners in Wales added an extra 39 years to their sentences and spent 28 years in solitary confinement due to bad behaviour last year.
Possession of drugs and unauthorised items, such as mobile phones, were one of the key reasons for the rise.
This resulted in prisoners having 14,311 days added to their sentence in 2018 – a huge cost to the taxpayer.