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Parc (HM Prison)
Encyclopedia
HM Prison Parc is a Category B
men's private prison
and Young Offenders Institution, located in Bridgend
, Mid Glamorgan
, Wales
. Parc Prison is operated by G4S, and is the only privately operated prison in Wales.
. Previously the site of Parc Prison used to be a psychiatric hospital
until it was closed down, and patients either moved to other hospitals in the area or into the community.
The new prison (which cost £82 million to develop) opened in 1997. Parc was designed to be a hi-tech prison, with computer systems, swipe cards and personalised voice identification equipment. By using computer and surveillance equipment, G4S cut down the number of staff needed in the prison and increased security, making it more difficult for prisoners to escape.
However from its opening, Parc Prison was beset with problems. Failures in the prison security technology, anti-English racism from Welsh inmates, and a high number of suicides were all highlighted as concerns by Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons
in a 1999 report. However in March 2001, a new report from the Chief Inspector noted a major improvement in standards at Parc Prison.
In August 2004, the Independent Monitoring Board
issued a report stating that Parc Prison had been rated as the worst performing privately-run prison in Wales and England. The report criticised the lack of separate health-care facilities for juveniles at the prison, the inadequate level of dental provision for all prisoners, and issues of staff morale
Education at parc Prison is provided by an in-house education department. A range of subjects are offered including English
, Maths, Information Technology
, Art
, Music
, Hospitality
and Languages, plus a range of vocational qualifications. Qualifications up to and including Open University
courses are available. The prisons Industries complex comprises 9 workshops including carpentry
, metalwork, graphic design
and print, and industrial cleaning. All other workshops are dedicated to manufacturing contracts with local companies.
Other facilities at the prison include a library
, gym
, fitness room, and a multi-faith chaplaincy. There is a Canteen and Crèche facility available in the in Visits Hall of the prison.
Prison security categories in the United Kingdom
There are four prisoner security categories in the United Kingdom used to classify every adult prisoner for the purposes of assigning them to a prison. The categories are based upon the severity of the crime and the risk posed should the person escape....
men's private prison
Private prison
A private prison, jail, or detention center is a place in which individuals are physically confined or interned by a third party that is contracted by a government agency...
and Young Offenders Institution, located in Bridgend
Bridgend
Bridgend is a town in the Bridgend County Borough in Wales, west of the capital, Cardiff. The river crossed by the original bridge, which gave the town its name, is the River Ogmore but the River Ewenny also passes to the south of the town...
, Mid Glamorgan
Mid Glamorgan
Mid Glamorgan is a preserved county of Wales. From 1974 until 1996, it was also an administrative county, with a county council.Mid Glamorgan was formed in 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972...
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
. Parc Prison is operated by G4S, and is the only privately operated prison in Wales.
History
Parc was the first prison in the UK to be built under the Government's Private Finance InitiativePrivate Finance Initiative
The private finance initiative is a way of creating "public–private partnerships" by funding public infrastructure projects with private capital...
. Previously the site of Parc Prison used to be a psychiatric hospital
Psychiatric hospital
Psychiatric hospitals, also known as mental hospitals, are hospitals specializing in the treatment of serious mental disorders. Psychiatric hospitals vary widely in their size and grading. Some hospitals may specialise only in short-term or outpatient therapy for low-risk patients...
until it was closed down, and patients either moved to other hospitals in the area or into the community.
The new prison (which cost £82 million to develop) opened in 1997. Parc was designed to be a hi-tech prison, with computer systems, swipe cards and personalised voice identification equipment. By using computer and surveillance equipment, G4S cut down the number of staff needed in the prison and increased security, making it more difficult for prisoners to escape.
However from its opening, Parc Prison was beset with problems. Failures in the prison security technology, anti-English racism from Welsh inmates, and a high number of suicides were all highlighted as concerns by Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons
Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons
Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons is the head of HM Inspectorate of Prisons and the senior inspector of prisons, young offender institutions and immigration service detention and removal centres in England and Wales...
in a 1999 report. However in March 2001, a new report from the Chief Inspector noted a major improvement in standards at Parc Prison.
In August 2004, the Independent Monitoring Board
Independent Monitoring Board
Independent Monitoring Boards are statutory bodies established by the Prison Act 1952 to monitor the welfare of prisoners in the UK to ensure that they are properly cared for within Prison and Immigration Centre rules, whilst in custody and detention...
issued a report stating that Parc Prison had been rated as the worst performing privately-run prison in Wales and England. The report criticised the lack of separate health-care facilities for juveniles at the prison, the inadequate level of dental provision for all prisoners, and issues of staff morale
The prison today
Parc prison holds Remand and Sentenced Category B Adult males, juveniles and young offenders. All cells in the prison are equipped with in-cell sanitation, natural and forced ventilation, and in-cell electrics. All wings are equipped with hot water boilers, PIN telephones, Pool & Table Tennis Tables, showers, laundry facilities and association areas.Education at parc Prison is provided by an in-house education department. A range of subjects are offered including English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, Maths, Information Technology
Information technology
Information technology is the acquisition, processing, storage and dissemination of vocal, pictorial, textual and numerical information by a microelectronics-based combination of computing and telecommunications...
, Art
Art
Art is the product or process of deliberately arranging items in a way that influences and affects one or more of the senses, emotions, and intellect....
, Music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
, Hospitality
Hospitality
Hospitality is the relationship between guest and host, or the act or practice of being hospitable. Specifically, this includes the reception and entertainment of guests, visitors, or strangers, resorts, membership clubs, conventions, attractions, special events, and other services for travelers...
and Languages, plus a range of vocational qualifications. Qualifications up to and including Open University
Open University
The Open University is a distance learning and research university founded by Royal Charter in the United Kingdom...
courses are available. The prisons Industries complex comprises 9 workshops including carpentry
Carpentry
A carpenter is a skilled craftsperson who works with timber to construct, install and maintain buildings, furniture, and other objects. The work, known as carpentry, may involve manual labor and work outdoors....
, metalwork, graphic design
Graphic design
Graphic design is a creative process – most often involving a client and a designer and usually completed in conjunction with producers of form – undertaken in order to convey a specific message to a targeted audience...
and print, and industrial cleaning. All other workshops are dedicated to manufacturing contracts with local companies.
Other facilities at the prison include a library
Library
In a traditional sense, a library is a large collection of books, and can refer to the place in which the collection is housed. Today, the term can refer to any collection, including digital sources, resources, and services...
, gym
Gym
The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, that mean a locality for both physical and intellectual education of young men...
, fitness room, and a multi-faith chaplaincy. There is a Canteen and Crèche facility available in the in Visits Hall of the prison.