An MP has raised concerns over HMP Berwyn, in Wrexham, claiming it was overcrowded, struggles to retain staff, with cells "trashed" and has drug issues. Plaid Cymru Westminster leader Liz Saville Roberts said the Welsh prison estate needed a “complete overhaul”, and would be better served by Cardiff than Westminster.
She told ministers devolving control over prisons to Wales would address problems, including overcrowding and a lack of resources, as she cited concerns over the Wrexham jail, reports PA. Ms Roberts, the Dwyfor Meirionnydd MP, and Plaid’s justice spokeswoman, pointed to research by Cardiff University’s Wales Governance Centre which lays bare the challenges faced in Wales’s prison estate.
The report, released earlier this month, says the number of people sleeping rough after being released from prison has trebled in almost a year. It also found Wales has a higher “in-country” prison population than the other nations of the UK, with 177 prisoners for every 100,000 people. England has 146, Scotland the same, and Northern Ireland 100.
Read more: Sad state of popular Dee Valley attraction overrun
Read more: Giant 'floating' ship moves into position off Llandudno
In a Westminster Hall debate, Ms Saville Roberts told MPs: “Some Westminster colleagues continue to believe and argue that the system is working well for Wales, but I would urge them to consider the data provided to them this morning.
![Liz Saville Roberts MP](https://i2-prod.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/article17412815.ece/ALTERNATES/s615b/1_General-Election-2019.jpg)
“The Wales Governance Centre suggests that its data is a direct challenge, and I honestly suggest it is grounds for a complete overhaul. Repeating that argument year on year does not change that call, because the evidence demands it.”
“The average number of people held in the Welsh prison estate, that is the five prisons of Berwyn, Cardiff, Parc, Swansea and, considered together, Usk and Prescoed, surpassed 5,000 for the first time in 2022.”
She also claimed that HMP Berwyn, had reportedly “almost surpassed” its operational capacity of 2,000 “for the first time”, adding: “I know from contacts there that it is not full; it would be, but there are cells that have been trashed and have not been fixed. Those are the sorts of numbers we are talking about.
“Such overcrowding brings problems. There are legitimate safety concerns, including problems relating to prescription and illicit drugs, and failures to provide basic medical care.”
Ms Saville Roberts also claimed Berwyn was suffering from a “significant problem” with staff retention, with prison officers coming from as far afield as Swansea and Hull to make up shortfalls.
She described Westminster’s control over Wales’ justice system as a “constitutional anomaly”, comparing it with Scotland and Northern Ireland, where devolved governments hold responsibility over the courts, police, and prisons.
![HMP Berwyn on Wrexham Industrial Estate. Entrance to the prison. Photo by Ian Cooper](https://i2-prod.liverpoolecho.co.uk/incoming/article23693323.ece/ALTERNATES/s615b/1_HMP-Berwyn-on-Wrexham-Industrial-Estate-For-file.jpg)
Justice minister Edward Argar said the Ministry of Justice has “a duty to ensure that Welsh prisons maintain their strong performance ratings and operate in a safe and effective way, with offenders being held in decent and humane conditions”.
He added: “That means making sure that no prison exceeds a safe maximum operating limit, which currently stands at 5,592 as of October 2023 across those six prisons in Wales.
“The largest Welsh prison, HMP Berwyn, which can house 2,000 inmates, does not have any prisoners held in crowded accommodation, as all double cells have been purposely designed and built to hold two prisoners safely and in decent conditions.”
The minister said the Government believed “that the single jurisdiction continues to work effectively” for England and Wales’ justice system, and “is the right approach”, and did not heed Ms Saville Roberts calls to devolve justice powers.
Lord Thomas of Cwmgiedd, the former lord chief justice of England and Wales, chaired a commission into the future of Welsh justice in 2017 which recommended responsibilities be devolved.
Sign up now for the latest news on the North Wales Live Whatsapp community
While the Conservative Government in Westminster has not heeded the report’s recommendations, Labour has suggested it would devolve some aspects of the justice system to Cardiff, including youth justice.
See what's happening in your area: