What are the most pressing issues facing Welsh prisons today? New inquiry launches with first session
The situation facing Welsh prisons and probation services in Wales will be the focus of the opening session of the Welsh Affairs Committee’s inquiry into prisons, probation and rehabilitation.
Meeting details
The session is the first in a series of hearings examining how effectively the UK and Welsh governments work together when it comes to issues relating to prisons and the rehabilitation of Welsh offenders.
In the first panel, the cross-party Committee will ask His Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Prisons and the National Chair of the Independent Monitoring Boards about their work scrutinising the conditions of the prison estate.
MPs are likely to ask witnesses about the current challenges Welsh prisons are facing, including the ongoing issues at HMP Parc, and what can be done to ensure progress is being monitored effectively. The Committee recently wrote to the head of the prison service in Wales, urging HMPPS and G4S officials to take urgent action on several issues at the prison.
In the second panel, the Committee will hear from trade unions representing staff working in the prison and probation service in Wales. MPs are likely to ask how overcrowding is affecting prisons and those working in the prison estate, as well as about the challenges with staff retention and recruitment.
Other topics which MPs may raise with the panellists include women’s experiences of the criminal justice system and the quality of Welsh language services at prisons in Wales.