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Welsh children being sent to prisons in England are “lonely and isolated” according to a damning report.

The “Imprisonment in Wales: A Factfile” compiled by Cardiff University has cast a light on the plight of Welsh children in prison.

Why are Welsh children been sent to England?

The amount of children in prison has fallen dramatically in over the last eight years.

(Image: Cardiff University)

This fall has led to the closure of many young offenders institutions or similar facilities in Wales.

This means that some Welsh children who are incarcerated have to be sent to England.

Where are these children being sent?

In Wales, 45% of all Welsh children in custody in 2017 were sent to establishments in England. The majority these were sent to HMYOI Werrington in Staffordshire.

Distance to the prison from:

Cardiff- 153 miles

Swansea- 181

Pembroke- 232

Bangor-114

What do these distances mean for the children sent there?

Pure and simple, being further away from home means fewer visits.

Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons (HMIP) found that for every 25 miles a child is from home will receive one less visit from a family member or a friend.

It is not only family or friends but also professionals who are supposed to be reasonable for the care of these children in the community.

The report found that being based in England meant that children also receive “significantly fewer” visits from community-based professionals.

In total, each 26-mile interval from home meant with one fewer visit from a professional responsible for the care of children in the community.

Is this just happening to Welsh children?

What is particularly strange that despite Welsh children been sent to England the majority of children held at Bridgend's HMYOI Parc in 2017 were drawn from regions outside of Wales.

On average, 14 Welsh children, less than a quarter of the unit’s full operational capacity, were held at the Young Persons’ Unit in 2017.

These English children do not see a service any better than their Welsh counterparts sent to England.

Researchers were told by one child that, despite receiving regular visits from their caseworker when held in England, they had failed to receive a single visit since being transferred to a facility in Wales.

HMIP also heard from one child who recalled their surprise at being transferred to “a different country” when moved to a unit in Wales.

How else does this affect children?

This can have a devastating impact on already vulnerable young people - especially if they are first language Welsh.

A study on Welsh girls in custody showed that “isolation from their home country” is a major problem for children held in England.

The research found that Welsh-speaking children can often find themselves “discriminated against” by other children and may struggle to access key services, including education, through the medium of Welsh.

Parc was found in the report to have major issues.

One in 10 children taking part in a study reported symptoms of anxiety or post-traumatic stress and almost 20% suffered from symptoms of depression.

In the month leading up to the research, approximately one in 10 children taking part in the study had self-harmed.

Within its most recent inspection at HMYOI Parc, inspectors discovered that over half (54%) of its previous recommendations had not been achieved.

HMIP found that reported incidents of self-harm at the Young Persons’ Unit “remained high” and that 23 boys had carried out 35 acts of self-harm in the six months to September 2017.

Sarah Crawley, director of Barnardo’s Cymru, said that she was pleased that the amount of children in prison overall had gone down that the charity wanted to see all Welsh prisioners located in Wales.

She said: “It is great to see such a comprehensive reduction in the number of children and young people within Wales in the secure estate.

"This is testament to the collaborative work of multiple agencies and organisations providing high quality support and advocacy on behalf of these children and young people.

“At Barnardo’s we would always advocate for Welsh children to be located in Wales and supported in Wales. Prison is rarely the best environment for children and young people to thrive, therefore we must continue to develop alternative solutions.”

What about adult women?

In 2017, 83% of sentenced women entering custody across England and Wales had committed non-violent offences.

Whereas Welsh children in custody will probably be sent to English prison, Welsh women are guaranteed to be.

Due to the fact that there are no women’s prisons in Wales, all Welsh women in prison are held in establishments in England.

In 2017, 83% of sentenced women entering custody across England and Wales had committed non-violent offences.

According to Frances Crook, Chief Executive of the Howard League for Penal Reform, the system is failing women.

"The community rehabilitation company (CRC) responsible for managing people coming out of prison and serving community sentences is owned by a German investment group!

"The CRC has failed to invest in a network of women’s centres that have been so successful in England, reducing reoffending and supporting women.

"There is not a single women’s centre in Wales that delivers court sentences. This may be one of the reasons that Welsh magistrates are remanding and sentencing so many women unnecessarily to prison, and they end up in English prisons.

"In reality, I could count on one hand the number of Welsh women who commit serious and violent offences and require penal custody each year.

"Scotland is leading the way by closing its one big women’s prison and investing in a restricted number of places in small local units for women."

The report was also incredibly damning Welsh adult prisons generally

Assaults on Staff

Assaults on staff in Wales reached its highest level in 2017.

On average, there was more than one assault a day on prison staff in Wales during 2017 with the total number of assaults on prison staff in Wales was five times greater in 2017 than in 2010.

The number of recorded assaults on staff in Wales was highest at HMP Parc (15 incidents per 100 prisoners) in 2017.

Self harm

The amount of self harm reported is Welsh prisons has now reached shockingly high levels.

On average, a prisoner in Wales takes their own life every four months. Between 2010 and 2017 there were 24 self-inflicted deaths in Welsh prisons.

HMP Parc recorded the highest rate (91 incidents per 100 prisoners) of self-harm in Wales

While the number of prisoners held in Wales rose by 23% from 2010 to 2017, the level of recorded self-harm incidents in Wales increased by 358% during the same period.

When approached over the issue a Prison Service spokesperson said: “The Justice Secretary has been clear that the levels of self-harm in our prisons are too high which is why we are taking urgent action to address this problem.

“We have recruited over 3,000 new prison officers across the country in the last 18 months to improve safety and help turn offenders’ lives around.

“Closeness to home is considered when choosing where to place prisoners but we must also look at the length of sentence, crime committed and prison capacity.”

Why are things so bad?

"Welsh prisons, like English prisons, are struggling with too many people coming through the gate," said Frances Crook from the Howard League for Penal Reform .

"The consequence is gross overcrowding, dire conditions and resentment from staff and inmates alike. The answer is not to build new prisons, but to cut the number of prisoners.

"New prisons like Berwyn replicate the terrible conditions and have already sucked millions of taxpayers’ money that could have been used for crime prevention, investment in industry and all sorts of local amenities for local people. Instead, more than 2,000 men will have to share cells that amount to an open toilet, with only enough activity space for half of them.

"The good news is that the number of prisoners has gone down over the past six months, and Swansea and Cardiff prisons are seeing the benefit. City jails are where local prisoners want to be, as do staff and visitors. If we can continue to get the numbers down it means they would not be crowded and staff can do the job they want to do – help people to live law-abiding lives on release.

"A serious problem for Wales is the failure of support for people serving community sentences. There is public support for community-based reparative justice where people can make amends for wrongdoing. This is cheap, effective and popular with victims. But it requires skilled management, and the destruction of the hundred-year-old public probation service was a crime against the justice system."

In response to the report a Welsh Government spokesperson said: “The Commission on Justice in Wales, which was set up by the Welsh Government late last year, is considering the future of prisons in Wales along with a wide range of other matters relating to justice and the legal system.

"The Commission is scheduled to report on its findings and recommendations during the course of 2019.”