BBCOne of the largest prisons in the United Kingdom is not addressing an amount of drugs “alarms” that have led to a “series” of deaths, according to a condemnatory report.
An unnoticed inspection of HMP Parc in Bridgend in January found that medications were widely available, with deliveries to cellular windows through drones.
It is known that seventeen inmates died in Parc in 2024, more than any other prison in the United Kingdom.
The prison said they were making “significant improvements.”
Drugs were found in 900 cars used in 2024, and G4S said it had invested significant resources to address drugs in prison, including patrol dogs and detection equipment.
Parc had previously tried leg as one of the most successful prisons, and the chief inspector of HM prisons, Charlie Taylor, described the last “non -disappointing” inspection.
He said that drugs were “arriving in prison” and 30% of the inmates surveyed said they had developed drug problems since I arrived in prison.
“We know that Drugs is a big problem in Parc, we know that drones can fly to specific cellular windows and leave packages very quickly,” he said.
“Parc is not unique, we see this in prisons in England, but it has a destabilization effect in prison.”
The report highlighted how the installation of new windows that would restrict traffic through drones had only recently started and facilities for greater door security were not yet in their place.
“It is one of the very worrying drugs that are finding their paths and the synthetic opioid, the Nitazeno, could have addressed some of the tragic deaths in prison,” Taylor added.
About 70% of inmates in the main units A and B of the prison said it was easy to obtain illicit drugs.
Eight of the deaths in the prison occurred between February and May 2024, that a staff member said it was a “very traumatic moment for all.”
HM Prison Chief InspectorThe inspection report said the prison had “resisted two years of turbulence” and described that the root of the problems was linked to a new management contract in the prison with the security firm G4S and the departure of the former director.
The director of long data and “very respected”, Janet Wallsgrove, left in August 2023 after 17 years and replaced by the interim director, who was in the position for less than a year.
The report described the new director and interim management “unable to grab the problems he faced.”
The PARC prison had 1,700 inmates at the time of the inspection, with an average of 225 newcomers every month.
Taylor said that he showed that prisons were “fragile places” and “when things begin to go wrong … they begin to fall apart”, which had been reflected in Parc.
The inspection inmate survey found that 54% of inmates said they felt insecure at some point in their time in prison, while almost a quarter said he was currently insecure.
A total of 44% said they had intimidated staff and 41% by other prisoners.
The report says that G4S “could not keep the high standards for which Parc was recognized.”
Taylor described G4S as not to comply with the terms of his contract after successfully offering for the 10 -year contract to operate the prison in 2022.
He said you get “illegality” when a prison is destabilized by drugs, with drug debts that lead to violence and potential self -harm.
HM Prison Chief InspectorThe report also described that the award system was in “disorder”, which would send a message of “if you behave badly here it will not be a consequence”, which makes the prisoners feel insecure.
The report also found that they did not assign prisoners to work, training or bad education were trapped in their cells for up to 21 hours a day.
The report found:
- A large number of violent incidents
- High levels of registered self -harm, and are not done enough to address the causes of this
- Mental health services and misuse of substances with little resources
- Gaps in public protection arrangements with retarded and inappropriate newly arrived controls agreements for crime -related monitoring
- It was not doing enough to support prisoners to reduce their risk or progress in their sentence.
- The food served in the meals was not always adequate, and the prison store did not sell enough healthy items, including fresh fruits and vegetables.
The inspectors found two examples of remarkable duration of positive practice in this inspection, included how prison worked with the University of Bath to provide “innovative drug detection technology in efforts to address the entry of illicit substances.”
He also highlighted Parc Tank as an excellent initiative for those who had to free themselves and interest in starting their own businesses and awards were awarded to invest in their ideas in the launch if successful launched to a panel.
The report also said that a new and experienced director, who began in June 2024, had implemented a well -communicated plan to address basic failures in prison and avoid further deaths.
He described the Will Styles self -assessment report as honest and was consistent with his findings in the inspection, and now a two -year improvement plan was developed.
G4S said that additional resources to further improve security processes were made available and reduce violence was a priority.
HMP Parc said that the first six months of 2024 were “extremely difficult” and their thoughts remained with the families of the inmates who died.
“Since then, considerable work has been carried out to make significant improvements in prison.
“We are encouraged to recognize that we are making solid progress and we observe a positive development to address violence, self -harm rates and the use of force.”
He said that his “comprehensive improvement plan” included all the inspector’s recommendations.
