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HM Prison Parc

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Men's prison in Bridgend, Wales

HM Prison Parc
LocationBridgend, Mid Glamorgan
Coordinates51°31′51″N 3°33′39″W / 51.53083°N 3.56083°W / 51.53083; -3.56083
StatusOperational
Security classCategory B Adult Males/Young Offenders/Juveniles
Capacity1652 (June 2016)
Opened1997
Managed byG4S
DirectorWill Styles

HM Prison Parc (Welsh: Carchar Parc EF) is a Category B men's private prison and Young Offenders Institution in Bridgend, Mid Glamorgan, Wales. It is operated by G4S, and is the only privately operated prison in Wales.

History

The site was previously occupied by Parc Hospital, a psychiatric hospital. Parc Prison was developed via a Private Finance Initiative contract in January 1996 and built by Costain Group at a cost of £82 million, opening in November 1997. Alongside HMP Altcourse, Parc was one of the first UK prisons to be financed, designed and owned by the private sector. When it first opened, Parc Prison had around 800 prisoners, accommodated in two-bed cells across four blocks.

From its opening, Parc Prison was beset with problems. Failures in the security technology, anti-English racism from Welsh inmates, and a high number of suicides were highlighted as concerns by Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons in a 1999 report. However, in March 2001, a report from the Chief Inspector noted a major improvement.

In August 2004, an Independent Monitoring Board report stated that Parc Prison was the worst-performing of all ten privately run prisons in Wales and England. The report criticised the lack of separate healthcare facilities for juveniles, the inadequate level of dental provision, and poor staff morale.

In January 2013, the Ministry of Justice announced that an additional houseblock would be constructed.

In 2024, the governance of the prison came under scrutiny again following a series of deaths in a short period of time. Ten inmates died within 3 months, prompting protests outside the prison and calls for the government to take over the running of Parc from G4S.

Current state

Parc has ten wings consisting of eight adult and two YPU wings, holding Remand and Sentenced Category B Adult males, juveniles and young offenders. Accommodation is a mix of single and double cells. All cells are equipped with sanitation, natural and forced ventilation, and electrics. All wings are equipped with hot-water boilers, PIN telephones, pool and table tennis tables, showers, laundry facilities, and association areas. Other facilities at the prison include a library, gym, fitness room, and a multi-faith chaplaincy. The prison's visits hall has a canteen and crèche.

Education is provided by an in-house education department. A range of subjects are offered including English, maths, information technology, art, music, hospitality, languages and a range of vocational qualifications. Qualifications up to and including Open University courses are available. The prison's industries complex comprises nine workshops including carpentry, metalwork, graphic design and print, and industrial cleaning. All other workshops are dedicated to manufacturing contracts with local companies.

Notable inmates

References

  1. "Parc Hospital". County Asylums. Retrieved 17 April 2019.
  2. "The PFI Contracts for Bridgend and Fazakerley Prisons" (PDF). National Audit Office. 31 October 1997. p. 66. Retrieved 17 April 2019.
  3. "Remand prisoner freed by mistake". BBC. 19 July 2006. Retrieved 17 April 2019.
  4. Pike, Alan (18 October 1996). "Survey - Private Finance Initiative: Builders escape worst problems". The Financial Times.
  5. Jowit, Juliette (27 September 1997). "Mouse that runs a high-tech jail: Securicor hopes its private finance deal will be the first of many". The Financial Times.
  6. "Control is 'fragile' at high-tech prison". bbc.co.uk. 14 October 1999. Retrieved 30 December 2008.
  7. "Prison responds to critics". bbc.co.uk. 20 March 2001. Retrieved 30 December 2008.
  8. "Private jail 'worst' says report". bbc.co.uk. 10 August 2004. Retrieved 30 December 2008.
  9. Danny Shaw (10 January 2013). "BBC News - Seven prison closures in England announced". Bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 12 April 2013.
  10. "Tenth inmate dies at prison in three months". BBC News. 30 May 2024.
  11. "Prison, football, family, the Samaritans and me: Mark Aizlewood on life after jail". Wales Online. Retrieved 17 July 2022.
  12. "Ian Watkins begins jail term inside 'Monster Mansion'". ITV News. 19 December 2013.

External links

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