A cross-party committee of MPs has today launched an inquiry into
how prisons, probation and rehabilitation are delivered in Wales.
The Welsh Affairs Committee will examine how UK Government takes
Wales into account when delivering criminal justice services, and
how effectively the UK and Welsh governments work together to
support Welsh offenders.
The UK Government is responsible for criminal justice in both
England and Wales. But the Welsh Government delivers several
important intersecting services, such as health, housing and
education.
MPs will scrutinise the work in Wales of His Majesty's Prisons
and Probation Service (HMPPS), a Ministry of Justice agency which
oversees the delivery of sentences in custody and the community,
and the rehabilitation of offenders through education, healthcare
and employment.
Other topics the Committee are likely to cover during the inquiry
could include the suitability of the Welsh prison estate, whether
sentencing succeeds in keeping both offenders and the public
safe, and how the lack of a women's prison in Wales impacts on
Welsh female offenders.
The new inquiry follows a session the Committee held last year on
HMP Parc in South Wales, where 17 inmates lost their lives during
the course of 2024.
, Chair of the Welsh Affairs
Committee, said:
“England and Wales are often treated the same when it comes to
prisons and rehabilitation, but Wales has its own unique
challenges. The UK and Welsh governments must work together to
support Welsh offenders. But how effective are they in doing so?
Our inquiry will take a broad look at how justice is being
delivered in Wales. Whether in collaboration between our
governments, in improvements to the prison estate or in
innovative attempts to reduce reoffending: is enough being done
to keep both Welsh offenders and the public safe?
I look forward to receiving evidence from a range of groups,
especially those whose lives have been touched by the justice
system.”
