Report questions support for Welsh prison leavers as homelessness rises

Nation.Cymru staff

More than a third of deaths among prison leavers under probation supervision in Wales involved drug poisoning, while hundreds of people were sleeping rough on release, a new report has found.

Research by Cardiff University’s Wales Governance Centre questions whether Welsh Government support for people moving from custody into the community is “fit for purpose”.

The report, Prisons, Punishment and Sentencing in Wales: 2025 Factfile, records 52 deaths among people under post-release probation supervision in Wales in 2024-25.

Of those, 19 were attributed to drug poisoning where intent was undetermined – accounting for 37% of deaths, compared with 21% across England and Wales.

Separately, the number of prison leavers managed by Welsh probation services who were recorded as sleeping rough on their release day rose by 24%, from 560 in 2024-25 to 695 in 2025-26.

It was the fourth consecutive annual increase.

The report, written by Dr Robert Jones, draws on Ministry of Justice statistics, Freedom of Information requests and parliamentary answers.

It states: “High numbers of deaths among prison leavers supervised in the community, particularly those involving drug poisoning, raise serious doubts over whether the Welsh Government’s initiatives to address substance use and support individuals during the transition from custody to the community are fit for purpose.”

The report says the Welsh Government’s 2019 substance misuse delivery plan identified the need to develop support for people leaving residential settings, including prisons, but no subsequent policy specifically addressing the issue had been published.

“It therefore remains unclear what action is being taken to recognise, monitor, and respond to drug related deaths among prison leavers in Wales,” it adds.

Responsibility for prisons and probation rests with Westminster, while services including health, housing and substance misuse support are devolved.

The report also questions whether the Welsh Government has the powers needed to address the underlying causes of the problems it identifies.

Welsh Affairs Committee chair Ruth Jones MP described the findings on deaths and homelessness as “devastating”.

“The prison and probation system is struggling with increasingly complex demand, which has serious implications for rehabilitation outcomes,” she said.

“With the government’s early release schemes ongoing, we need to ensure the system is set up so prison leavers have the support they need to live healthy lives and avoid reoffending when they return to their communities.”

Separate figures show that 865 people left prisons in Wales without a fixed address in 2025-26, up 7%. That measure covers releases from Welsh prisons, whereas the rough-sleeping figures cover people managed by Welsh probation services.

The report also found that immediate custodial sentences handed to women by courts in Wales rose by 27%, from 442 in 2024 to 560 in 2025. Shoplifting accounted for 39% of custodial sentences given to women.

Ms Jones said it was frustrating to see custodial sentences increasing when Wales has no women’s prison.

“The evidence our inquiry heard was clear that separation from their children and families can bring considerable harm, chaos and disruption to these women’s lives,” she said.

The committee published its Jagged Justice report on prisons, probation and rehabilitation in June, following a separate report on HMP Parc in March.

Justice data

Ms Jones also criticised gaps in Wales-specific justice data, an issue highlighted in the Cardiff University report.

“In many cases, requests for data previously obtained through the Freedom of Information Act 2000 have simply gone unanswered, with no acknowledgement or substantive response received,” the report states.

Responding to the findings, a Welsh Government spokesperson told BBC Wales: “Every drug-related death is a tragedy.

“We are working closely with health boards, local authorities, Public Health Wales and other key partners to reduce the harms caused by substance misuse, focusing on early intervention, prevention, treatment and recovery support.”

The spokesperson said the findings strengthened the case for full devolution of justice.

‘Crisis’

A Ministry of Justice spokesperson told the BBC: “We inherited prisons in crisis but we’re acting on all fronts, including by reducing the number of women in custody through investment in community services and cutting the flow of drugs into prisons.

“In Wales we invest more than £3.4m into services which work across prisons, probation and courts to help support prison leavers overcome their addiction.”

The ministry added that prisoners at risk of homelessness could be offered temporary accommodation by the prison and probation service.

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