Bar private companies from prisons in Wales – Plaid Cymru
‘Plaid Cymru is the only party with a plan for a safer Wales’ - Liz Saville Roberts
Plaid Cymru has today (Saturday 1 June) announced it would remove private companies from the prison system following tragic events at HMP Parc in Bridgend. It said it was the only party supporting the devolution of justice and policing at the General Election.
On Wednesday 29 May, a 38-year-old inmate died at Parc Prison, bringing the crisis-hit jail's death toll to 10 in just over three months.
Nine other inmates have died since 27 February, including four believed to be drug-related, while one prison staff member has been arrested in connection with drug dealing there.
On Friday 31 May, around 20 prisoners were reportedly involved in a riot at HMP Parc. Three inmates have been rushed to hospital following Friday's unrest.
The prison is run by the private security giant G4S and is the only privately operated prison in Wales.
Plaid Cymru Westminster leader, Liz Saville Roberts, said that overcrowding means “prisons in Wales are more dangerous than ever before,” and argued that the system needs “a complete overhaul.”
She said that the privatised model had “utterly failed” at Parc and said that devolved control of services at all Welsh prisons would allow health and social policy to be aligned with justice. She added a distinct Welsh justice system could “make all our communities safer”.
Liz Saville Roberts said:
"Wales has a higher incarceration rate than any other part of the UK and among the highest in the whole of Europe. Our prisons are more dangerous than ever before, and the UK Government's plans to release some inmates early to ease pressure on the prison estate are riddled with problems. It is clear that the current system is broken and needs a complete overhaul.
"Overcrowding means prisons in Wales are more dangerous than ever before. Nowhere is this starker than privately-run Parc prison in Bridgend, which shows that the privatised model has utterly failed. Parc should not only be returned to public control – all Welsh prisons should be brought under Welsh public control. Devolved control of services at all Welsh prisons could make all our communities safer because effective crime reduction and rehabilitation requires control over the entire process of policing and justice, including courts, prisons, and probation. This also includes health and social policy, which are already devolved.
"Plaid Cymru is the only party with a plan for a safer Wales. Labour and the Tories’ failure to support the devolution of justice and policing only exacerbates the chronic problems faced in the system. Scotland, Northern Ireland, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islands all have their own prison systems, but inexplicably, the UK Government believes that Wales isn’t fit to run its own affairs.
“For decades, Plaid Cymru has made the case that Wales should have its own justice system. Only then can we focus on tackling the root causes of offending and reoffending and emphasise prevention rather than perpetuating a cycle of violence.
"A vote for Plaid Cymru on 4th July is a vote for putting Welsh justice in Welsh hands and creating a system which is fairer and more sustainable for all.”