Welsh prisons record big increase in violent incidents

A new report has revealed a sharp increase in violent incidents in Welsh Prisons last year.

Prisoner-on-prisoner assaults in Welsh prisons increased by 80% last year, a Cardiff University report has confirmed.

The analysis, carried out by the Wales Governance Centre, also reveals that in 2023, assaults on staff rose by 69% and self-harm incidents increased by 53%.

HMP Parc saw the steepest rises, with assaults on staff increasing by 109%, self-harm incidents by 113% and self-harm incidents requiring hospital treatment growing by 190%.

Of the 13 deaths recorded across the Welsh prison estate in the first six months of this year, 12 were at HMP Parc. At least four of the deaths recorded at HMP Parc in 2024 are believed to be linked to substance misuse, adding to mounting concerns about the availability of drugs at the prison.

Drug finds

Ministry of Justice data also show there was a 46% increase in the number of drug finds at HMP Parc in 2023/24, along with a 185% rise in the amount of drug equipment found at the prison.

The analysis also shows in 2023, the Welsh prisoner population increased to its highest level (5,034) since the Wales Governance Centre began collecting disaggregated data.

The author of the report, Dr Robert Jones said: “This new analysis uncovers a drastic deterioration in prison safety levels across Wales, particularly at HMP Parc. Urgent action is needed to address these serious and growing issues. Any decision to ignore or overlook the problems or distinct policy context in Wales is no longer sustainable or defensible.”

Homelessness

The report also notes that homelessness continues to be a growing problem for prisoners when they’re released.

Having already trebled in the previous year, the number of those managed by Welsh probation services who were rough sleeping following release from prison increased by a further 51% in 2023/24 – equivalent to 500 people.

On average, five people a week were released from HMP Cardiff as homeless in 2023/24.

Welsh female prisoners continue to be imprisoned in England. Almost one in five (18%) of all women sentenced to immediate custody at courts in Wales in 2023 were handed sentences of one month or less.

The data also show there were 54 Black people from Wales in prison for every 10,000 of the Welsh population in 2023. This rate compared to just 15 White people from Wales per 10,000 of the population.

The report notes some information requested by Dr Jones was not released by the Ministry of Justice. This includes a request for data on the number of women from Wales who were pregnant or gave birth in prison for 2023/24; this was rejected as it was deemed to be outside the remit of the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

Rising prisoner numbers

Dr Jones said: “The Welsh imprisonment rate continues to surpass the level recorded in any other part of the United Kingdom, with the use of remand and recall contributing significantly to rising Welsh prisoner numbers.

“And while the current early release scheme might do something to temporarily reduce those figures, it is going to do little to alleviate the rise in homelessness.

“There seemingly remains very little appetite from Welsh and UK governments to understand how to address these problems in any serious way. The inaccessibility of Wales-only data on parental imprisonment, Welsh deaths in custody, as well as pregnancies and births – even when utilising freedom of information legislation – only serves to highlight the continuing problem.”

Responding to the report, Ruth Jones, Chair-elect of the Welsh Affairs Committee, said: “Today’s report paints a worrying picture of the state of the prison estate in Wales.

“Particularly dire is the situation in Parc prison. That 12 of the 13 deaths recorded across Welsh prisons in the first six months of the year took place at Parc is deeply concerning.

“The number of deaths at Parc is tragically still rising, reaching 16 just last week. Yet so does the average number of prisoners serving sentences in Wales.

“This report reminds us of the need for detailed scrutiny of prisons across Wales, not just at Parc. I will encourage the Welsh Affairs Committee to consider how it might return to the last Parliament’s inquiry into Welsh prisons as soon as possible.”