UK’s biggest jail has faced criticism following an assessment that revealed higher rates of substance abuse along with more incidents of aggression.
According to a report by HM Chief Inspector of Prisons Charlie Taylor, improvements at HMP Berwyn in Wrexham are being impeded due to an increase in inmates transferred from overpopulated prisons in England.
However, the report noted that a newly-appointed prison governor had shown “competent” leadership skills, and staffing improvements had been made.
A spokesperson for the prison service mentioned that a “thorough action plan” has been implemented at the facility to tackle problems related to substance abuse and self-harming behaviors.
Opened in February 2017, HMP Berwyn stands as the biggest public sector prison in both England and Wales.
An earlier report concerning the prison,
conducted in 2022,
mentioned that insufficient staffing was significantly affecting the prison.
The new
report
mentioned that “accessibility to drugs was greater, and incidents of violence and self-harm had significantly increased” since the previous inspection three years prior, noting that the rate of self-harm was amongst the highest when compared to other comparable prisons.
The prison’s safety rating has now dropped to “not sufficiently good” from “reasonably good” previously.
However, its rating regarding prisoners’ readiness for release has improved from “not adequately satisfactory” to “fairly satisfactory.”
The prisoners interviewed stated that they valued the staff for monitoring them, according to the report; however, these checks did not consistently address the root causes of self-harming behavior.
HMP Berwyn was initially constructed to cater to the court system in North Wales; however, the report emphasized how “demographic changes” have altered this purpose.
The Wrexham prison was holding 1,937 men at the time of the latest unannounced inspection which took place in January and February.
The report said: “On this inspection, around 200 prisoners were remanded or unsentenced prisoners, many of whom were coming from courts in Merseyside, Greater Manchester and Lancashire, with some prisoners coming from as far as Preston.”
The report was also critical of how prisoners spend their days with “too many” not having enough to occupy their time.
The statement indicated that 25% of prisoners had no employment and 27% were engaged in part-time jobs or educational activities within the correctional facility.
The report stated: “Participation in education and training was only around 70%, even though the quality of instruction was mostly satisfactory.”
The inspection revealed that those employed full-time could anticipate receiving significantly more time out of their cells.
In the meantime, numerous jobless inmates were granted “no more than two hours of unconfined time,” as stated in the report.
These elements were undoubtedly contributing to the monotony and substance abuse within the facility.
Random testing indicated that drugs were being utilized by 33% of the prison population.
The report indicated that purposeful activities were “especially scarce” for inmates housed in the vulnerable prisoner wings.
The quality of life for prisoners was described as “satisfactory,” with each of the prison’s 24 sections offering “adequate housing standards.”
The report said each cell had a shower “which prisoners greatly appreciated”.
The investigation revealed that the prison had conducted an effective recruitment campaign to address staffing problems that had persisted since 2017.
The report commended the prison staff for keeping up several remarkable programs at the facility.
This included the physical education programme for prisoners involved in violence to improve “communication and interpersonal skills”.
Overall the report said HMP Berwyn could improve the daily regime for its prisoners.
It added drug use needed to be addressed and “more creative” way to motivate prisoners should be found.
The report observed that “violence had started to decrease” over the past few months and expressed hope that this trend would persist.
A representative from the prison service stated, “We have already introduced substantial measures to tackle the problems related to substance abuse and self-harm at HMP Berwyn.”
A “thorough action plan” is presently being implemented to tackle the problems.
These measures encompass “strengthened security procedures, greater assistance for inmates at risk, and enhancements to constructive activities” aimed at bettering the setting conducive to rehabilitation.
More on this story
- Self-harm cases in prisons have more than doubled.
- Report Criticizes Largest Prison in Wales
- Revealed: Drug failures in prison lead to inmate’s demise
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