Prison
Cat B, YOI
Key Concerns Identified
Positive Findings
Parc
IMB Annual Report 2021 · Published 21 December 2021
The reporting period at HMP Parc (March 2020 – February 2021) was profoundly shaped by the Covid-19 pandemic, leading to a highly restrictive regime with prisoners confined to cells for up to 23 hours daily and no physical IMB visits. Despite these challenging conditions, the Board praised staff's exceptional efforts in maintaining safety, preventing Covid-19 deaths, and achieving reductions in assaults and use of force incidents. Key concerns highlighted included the continued entry of illicit drugs, excessive waiting times for dental and specialist healthcare, and the withdrawal of secondary mental health services.
Positive Findings
The Board commended management and staff for outstanding efforts throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, ensuring no lives were lost to the virus and effectively maintaining safety. There were reductions in assaults, uses of force, and adjudications across the prison. GP waiting times remained favourable compared to community services. The prison's in-cell education program received commendation for robust monitoring systems and good results, while the offender management unit met its commitments and produced high-quality parole reports.
Key Concerns
Substance Misuse
despite prisoners being kept in their cells for up to 23 hours per day, and the limited social visits, drugs continued to enter the prison.
Regime/Time Out of Cell
the government decision not to prioritise prisoner and operational staff vaccinations lengthened what has been described as an inhumane regime, which a prisoner questionnaire identified as a contributor to increased and sustained cases of mental health problems.
Healthcare
The dentist was unable to see prisoners during the pandemic, which created excessive wait lists. The wait list for the optician and podiatrist became excessive as neither came on-site during the pandemic.
Mental Health
Support for those with mental health issues suffered due to the withdrawal of secondary care from the local health board.
Safety
It is of concern to the Board that Covid-19 testing and proper temperature checking did not take place before prisoners were transferred.
Food/Catering
There are continuing problems with prisoners not wearing the correct clothing in the serveries, and the cleanliness of equipment.
Healthcare
There were issues surrounding the ability of healthcare staff to provide an appropriate service to prisoners as a consequence of there being insufficient telephones available.
Staffing
The effectiveness of individual case reviews can be limited by poor attendance, with examples being where staff do not respond to an invitation or, having responded, fail to attend. The frustration to staff in the safer custody unit is apparent, with occasions where an individual’s needs cannot be progressed.
Substance Misuse
the presence of drugs, mobile phones and other illicit items continued to affect the stability of wings and resulted in bullying and debt, the main reason for violence on the wings. The Board continues to be concerned about the safety of prisoners due to access to drugs and mobile phones.
Equality/Diversity
The figures for young adults (18–25) are consistently higher than the prison average, as are the figures for the black, Asian and minority ethnic population. Where possible, issues around sexual orientation, region and religion are considered and regularly monitored by the equalities team. The Board are not aware of any steps the prison are doing to identify underlying causes for disproportionality.
Healthcare
If there is a single concern, it is the number of ‘no shows’ by prisoners. While some of this may be due to disorganisation, which is being addressed by healthcare champions, it is understood that some of this may be due to staffing shortages, and there is concern over the follow-up process for those failing to attend appointments.
Resettlement/Release
Not all families have access to suitable technology, and initially the photo identification registration of visitors via an application was difficult. The screen freezes if an unauthorised person appears or if there are sudden movements or inappropriate language. The Board understands that it was not always emotionally easy for prisoners to see their families in their home setting when they were undergoing such a strict regime. The take-up has been lower than might have been expected.
Board Commentary
Staffing
The prison faced significant pressures due to staff shortages throughout the pandemic, but staff demonstrated outstanding effort and dedication. However, the equalities manager left during this period, limiting initiatives. There was also apparent frustration among Safer Custody Unit staff due to poor attendance at individual case reviews, hindering prisoner progression.
Healthcare
Healthcare services were provided by Justice Health, G4S Policing Support and Health Services. The GP operated daily telephone consultations and urgent face-to-face appointments, maintaining a favourable waiting list of 5-7 days. However, dental, optician, and podiatrist services accumulated excessive waiting lists due to providers being unable to attend during the pandemic. Support for mental health issues suffered significantly with the withdrawal of secondary care services, leaving the primary care team under increased pressure and limiting face-to-face contact and group work.
Regime & Daily Life
The reporting period was dominated by the Covid-19 pandemic, leading to a highly restrictive regime where prisoners were locked in their cells for up to 23 hours per day. This significantly impacted purposeful activity, with classrooms, workshops, and the gym closed, and group activities halted. The Incentives and Earned Privileges (IEP) system was suspended, though a new points-based scheme was introduced later in the year to reward positive contributions. Exercise was limited to a 30-minute rota basis.
Applications to the IMB
Prisoners can apply to their IMB about any aspect of their treatment. This table shows application counts by category.
| Category | Current | Previous | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Accommodation, including laundry, clothing, ablutions | 13 | — | |
| Canteen, facility list, catalogue(s) | 5 | — | |
| Discipline, including adjudications, IEP, sanctions | 5 | — | |
| Equality | 8 | — | |
| Finance, including pay, private monies, spends | 12 | — | |
| Food and kitchens | 14 | — | |
| Health, including physical, mental, social care | 3 | 63 | |
| Letters, visits, telephones, public protection restrictions | 1 | 34 | |
| Property during transfer or in another establishment or location | 2 | 47 | |
| Property within this establishment | 1 | 24 | |
| Purposeful activity, including education, work, training, library, regime, time out of cell | 26 | — | |
| Sentence management, including HDC, release on temporary licence, parole, release dates, recategorisation | 1 | 34 | |
| Staff/prisoner concerns, including bullying | 1 | 44 |
Recommendations (10)
Ministry of Justice: 1
Other: 2
HMPPS: 3
Governor / Director: 4
Recommendation 1
Should there be further need for vaccinations for any form of Covid-19 or any other such pandemic, operational staff within the Prison Service should be treated as a priority group in order to protect the integrity of the service.
Ministry of Justice
Healthcare
Recommendation 2
Should there be further need for vaccinations for Covid-19 or any other such pandemic, operational staff within the Prison Service should be treated as a priority group in order to protect the integrity of the service. There was, at one stage, capacity within Cwm Taf Local Health Board to support vaccinations, but this was withdrawn by Public Health Wales (PHW).
Other
(other)
Healthcare
Recommendation 3
The supply of vaccines to protect prisoners should be continuous, without gaps in supply from PHW, which made the risk of transmission greater in a prison environment.
Other
(other)
Healthcare
Recommendation 4
Procedures should be in place, during any form of pandemic, whereby prisoners transferring are tested and, where found to be positive, isolated prior to a transfer to another establishment taking place. This should be a mandatory action and not left to individual prisons to make a decision.
HMPPS
Safety
Recommendation 5
It was identified that a proportion of prisoners were positive about the Purple Visits service, and it is hoped that this will continue to be fully funded, with improved software to avoid random disconnections in the service.
HMPPS
Resettlement
Recommendation 6
HM Inspectorate of Prisons made a recommendation: ‘Prisoners who are convicted of sexual offences should be able to access relevant offending behaviour interventions without the need to transfer to another prison’; will HMPPS provide comprehensive and adequate programmes for these individuals?
HMPPS
Progression
Recommendation 7
While nursing staff attend reviews, they are often late, and sometimes unprepared in relation to the healthcare needs of the prisoner, and this means that the review is not always as robust as it should be.
Governor / Director
Healthcare
Recommendation 8
There are continuing problems with prisoners not wearing the correct clothing in the serveries, and the cleanliness of equipment. What can be done to ensure consistent compliance with the Director’s directives governing the availability and wearing of appropriate clothing?
Governor / Director
Food
Recommendation 9
There were issues surrounding the ability of healthcare staff to provide an appropriate service to prisoners as a consequence of there being insufficient telephones available. Any issue of this nature should be treated as an absolute priority.
Governor / Director
Healthcare
Recommendation 10
The effectiveness of individual case reviews can be limited by poor attendance, with examples being where staff do not respond to an invitation or, having responded, fail to attend. The frustration to staff in the safer custody unit is apparent, with occasions where an individual’s needs cannot be progressed. This is an issue that should be monitored.
Governor / Director
Safety