Overcrowded prisons and staff shortages are undermining rehabilitation in Wales, MPs warn

Mark Mansfield

Overcrowded prisons, staff shortages and growing pressures on probation services are undermining efforts to rehabilitate offenders in Wales, MPs have warned.

The Welsh Affairs Committee said the justice system in Wales is struggling under the weight of rising prisoner numbers, workforce pressures and increasingly complex demands, raising concerns about safety and the effectiveness of rehabilitation programmes.

The report, Jagged Justice: Prisons, Probation and Rehabilitation in Wales, follows a year-long inquiry into prisons and probation services and highlights a series of challenges facing the Welsh justice system.

Among the committee’s key concerns is Wales’ consistently higher imprisonment rate compared with England and most western European countries.

MPs are calling for the Ministry of Justice and the Welsh Government to jointly commission an academic review into the reasons behind the trend, with findings reported back within a year.

The report also raises concerns about the treatment of Welsh women in the justice system.

Female offenders

Because there are no women’s prisons in Wales, female offenders serving custodial sentences are held in England, often far from family, support networks and the services they will need on release.

MPs expressed frustration at continuing uncertainty over plans for a Residential Women’s Centre in Swansea, which was originally expected to open two years ago.

The committee has urged ministers to confirm whether the centre will proceed and, if so, when it will open.

It said the facility must operate as a genuine alternative to custody for women who commit low-level offences rather than becoming “a prison in all but name”.

Committee chair Ruth Jones MP said the inquiry had uncovered examples of innovation and dedication among prison staff but also a system under severe strain.

“Throughout our inquiry and visits to prisons across England and Wales, we found dedicated staff and genuine examples of good practice and innovation,” she said.

“But we also found a system that too often fails the people it is meant to serve.”

The committee said effective rehabilitation depends on prisoners spending more time out of their cells and engaging in education, training and purposeful activity. However, it warned that many prisons lack the staffing levels needed to deliver such regimes.

MPs are calling on the Ministry of Justice to meet Welsh prison unions to identify barriers to recruitment and retention, and to address concerns over pay and working conditions.

Language rights

The report also highlights concerns over Welsh language rights within prisons.

The committee said Welsh-speaking prisoners should be able to use their language regardless of where they are held and called for stronger monitoring of Welsh language provision across the prison estate. It recommended that UK Government agencies operating in prisons be brought under the Welsh Language Standards Regulations 2023.

MPs also warned that probation services in Wales are being stretched to their limits and risk becoming overwhelmed without additional investment and measures to improve staff retention.

The report concludes that addressing the challenges facing Wales’ justice system will require closer cooperation between Westminster and Cardiff Bay, reflecting the split responsibilities for justice, healthcare, housing and education.

Ruth Jones said the justice system in Wales needed “better data, sustained investment, and policy that is designed with Wales’ devolution settlement in mind and that is tailored to the needs of the people of Wales”.

Speaking on behalf of Ben Lake MP and Llinos Medi MP who are also members of the Welsh Affairs Committee, Plaid Cymru MP, Ann Davies said: “This report by the Welsh Affairs Select Committee highlights the big challenges facing Wales’s justice system, from overcrowded prisons and staff shortages to the lack of suitable facilities for women. These failings both undermine the efficiency of the system and weaken efforts to rehabilitate offenders and reduce reoffending.

“We welcome the report’s recommendation to devolve probation and youth justice, in line with the recommendations of three independent commissions since 2014. However, Plaid Cymru believes that now is also the time to devolve the entire criminal justice system so that we can tailor the system to our specific needs in Wales and deliver more efficient services.

“We cannot keep waiting for the system to be stabilised before acting on an issue that would improve services for people across Wales – and with substantial police reform around the corner, there is a case for acting now.

“The Prime Minister said during PMQs last week that he will work constructively with the Welsh Government to deliver for Wales and if he is serious, he should listen to the recommendations of cross-party Welsh representatives, but also to the people of Wales more widely by respecting the mandate provided to Plaid Cymru to demand control over the entire justice system.”