Covid-19 and imprisonment in Wales

Jones, Robert 2020. Covid-19 and imprisonment in Wales. [Technical Report]. Wales Governance Centre at Cardiff University.

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Abstract

Just as the Covid-19 pandemic is uprooting conventional practice in every area of life, it is presenting a challenge of unprecedented scale and complexity for prison staff and health officials in Wales. This short report presents the latest Welsh prison population data to clarify the current state of the prison estate in Wales, and the likely challenges resulting from this data to those working in this sector during this critical period. The main findings of this report are as follows: • The number people held in Welsh prisons climbed to its highest ever level by 27 March 2020, 17 days after the World Health Organisation declared the outbreak of Covid19 a global pandemic. • The in-country imprisonment rate in Wales was 163 per 100,000 at the end of March 2020, significantly higher than the comparable rate of 139 per 100,000 in England. • HMP Berwyn’s population increased by 5% between February and March 2020. • HMP Swansea was the most overcrowded prison in England and Wales at the end of March 2020. • An equal share of the UK Government’s plans to release 4,000 prisoners over the coming weeks will mean that around 228 Welsh prisoners are temporarily released from prison. • It is unclear what arrangements are in place in Wales, if any, to support those prisoners released back into their local communities, and it is unclear what role, if any, the Welsh Government and Public Health Wales are playing in shaping Ministry of Justice policy. Early releases are likely to increase demand for housing services and temporary accommodation in Wales, yet it is not clear whether additional funding been made available to meet this additional demand.

Item Type:	Monograph (Technical Report)
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Law Wales Governance Centre (WGCES)
Publisher:	Wales Governance Centre at Cardiff University
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	15 April 2020
Last Modified:	11 Nov 2022 13:33
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/130993

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