HMP Parc: Welsh Affairs Chair “deeply concerned” by “abusive” behaviour
3 April 2025
The Chair of the Welsh Affairs Committee has written to the leadership of Parc prison, raising concerns about reports that prison officers sent messages joking about violence towards prisoners.
The Chair says the Committee is “deeply concerned” about reports concerning the excessive use of force and inappropriate use of social media to discuss treating prisoners in a derogatory, offensive and abusive manner.
In response, the Chair has asked for an urgent update on the guidance G4S sets for prison officers at Parc, including how it sanctions prison officers who violate these guidelines.
The Chair adds that whilst the Committee is grateful for the quarterly progress report on HMP Parc it received from HMPPS, “we were disappointed both by its lack of detail, and the fact that we were unable to publish it.”
“This lack of transparency is deeply unhelpful for the confidence Parc needs to rebuild amongst the local community and the families of the men held at HMP Parc,” she writes.
The letter, sent to Will Styles, Director of HMP Parc, and Gordon Brockington, Managing Director of G4S Care and Rehabilitation Services, is available to read on the Committee’s website.
Chair comment
Ruth Jones, Chair of the Welsh Affairs Committee, said:
“I am deeply concerned about the latest media reports from Parc. Even if many of these messages are historic, they paint an alarming picture of demeaning and offensive behaviour towards prisoners.
That seventeen Parc inmates died last year remains a sobering reminder of the risks if prisoner safety is not made a priority.
Local communities around Parc, and the families of men held there, must be able to trust that inmates are being treated with dignity. But Parc’s initially encouraging commitment to improvements has been sullied by a lack of transparency. That isn’t good enough for inmates and their families.
Safety at Parc prison remains a top priority for our committee. I plan to meet with the Ministry of Justice to raise our concerns around how the prison's progress is being monitored, and to discuss the prison’s existing governance arrangements.”
Further information
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