Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Communities and Local Government, Mark Isherwood AM, yesterday rejected calls by the Labour Welsh Government and Plaid Cymru for the Criminal Justice System to be devolved, and emphasised the need for an England and Wales solution to address the issues identified in The Wales Governance Centre Report – ‘Imprisonment in Wales’.
Speaking in the Assembly debate on the report, Mr Isherwood moved amendments “noting the UK Government's agenda on prison reform’, and ‘recognising the need for a cross-border solution to the issues identified in this Wales Governance’.
He also stressed that contrary to the Wales Governance Centre’s Report, the UK Government does not continue “to place faith in the ‘one size fits all’ model of the ‘super prison’”.
He said:
“As this report shows, almost two thirds of Welsh offenders are being held in Wales and 70% of all offenders held in Wales had an address in Wales prior to entering custody.
“In referring to the extent of distance problems facing Welsh people in prisons, it provides the example of male offenders from Flintshire being held at 44 different prisons in England.
“However, over three quarters of these are imprisoned in adjacent North West England and over 40% in nearby HM Prison Altcourse.
“On my previous visits to HMP Altcourse I have seen the targeted work of their North Wales resettlement unit.
“Of course, it would be prejudicial and counterproductive if offenders were segregated according to where they previously lived.
“Further, such an approach would not take account of the practical considerations applying when decisions are made about where a prisoner is to be held.
“The UK Government’s reforms are not about increasing capacity, but about replacing ageing and ineffective prisons with buildings fit for today’s demands.
“Contrary to the Wales Governance Centre’s Report, the UK Government does not continue “to place faith in the ‘one size fits all’ model of the ‘super prison’”.
“For example Berwyn Prison Wrexham, a training and resettlement prison, is divided into three houses, each divided into eight communities – plus a care and support unit.
“In terms of distance travelled HMP Berwyn, is 152 miles from Pembroke, 140 from Cardiff, 81 from Aberystwyth, 77 from Caernarfon, 70 from Birmingham, 54 from Manchester, 40 from Liverpool and 13 from Chester.”
He added: “As the Executive Director of HM Prison and Probation Service for Wales told the Welsh Affairs Select Committee last month “we do not have the provision in Wales to deal with lots of different things”… for example “we do not have anywhere to put high-security offenders or anywhere to house terrorists”.
“She added “we have a system in England and Wales that is not designed solely on the basis of geographical location. It is also designed on the basis of the needs of the prisoner, and they can be geographically dispersed. You have to weigh what the regime, the provision and the intervention are that you want to give the individual, versus closeness to home”.
“You cannot compare all prisons to all prisons; you have to do prisons in comparator groups... both Swansea and Cardiff are performing better than their comparator groups against safety and order. On self-harm and violence, both Swansea and Cardiff are performing better. Usk and Prescoed have some of the best levels of performance in their systems”.
“Most of Wales’ population lives near England and Criminal activity does not recognise national boundaries.
He concluded: “The ridiculousness of calls for the Criminal Justice System to be devolved are exposed by the First Minister’s claim that dangerous offenders could be sent across the UK after devolution, to address the lack of category A prisons in Wales”.