Wales imprisons more people than England and most of Western Europe, MPs say
Wales imprisons more of its population than England and most of Western Europe, and MPs are calling for a review to find out why.
The recommendation comes in a report by the UK Parliament’s Welsh Affairs Committee, published on Tuesday after an inquiry into prisons and probation in Wales lasting more than a year.
The report, Jagged Justice: Prisons, Probation and Rehabilitation in Wales, says the imprisonment rate in Wales has consistently been shown to be higher than in England.
The committee wants the Ministry of Justice and the Welsh Government to jointly commission an academic review of the trend, with the findings shared with MPs within twelve months.
It also warns that overcrowding, staffing shortages and population pressures have undermined the safety of staff and prisoners and the effectiveness of rehabilitation across the prison estate in England and Wales.
HMP Berwyn in Wrexham is the only prison in north Wales.
There are no women’s prisons in Wales at all, so women from Flintshire and the rest of the country who receive custodial sentences are held in England, often far from family and the support services they return to on release.
The number of Welsh women receiving custodial sentences is rising, the report says.
MPs are pressing the Ministry of Justice to confirm whether the Swansea Residential Women’s Centre, intended as an alternative to custody for women convicted of low-level offences, will open at all.
The centre was due to open two years ago, but funding was reallocated by the previous UK Government and the project’s future remains unclear.
Ruth Jones MP, Chair of the Welsh Affairs Committee, said:
“Throughout our inquiry and visits to prisons across England and Wales, we found dedicated staff and genuine examples of good practice and innovation. But we also found a system that too often fails the people it is meant to serve. It’s a system struggling with population pressures, staffing shortages, and increasingly complex demand, all of which have serious implications for safety and rehabilitation outcomes.”
“Additionally, Welsh women who are serving their custodial sentences in prisons are often far from home, family and the support services they will be returning to. That’s why we are urging the Government to confirm its plans for the Swansea Residential Women’s Centre.”
The committee also calls on the Ministry of Justice to meet Welsh justice unions to identify the main barriers to recruiting and keeping prison staff, and to address concerns about pay and conditions as soon as possible.
On probation, the report says staff in Wales have been stretched to their limit and the service risks being overwhelmed without investment in additional officers.
MPs want prisons to give councils, including Flintshire County Council, earlier notice of upcoming releases so they have the best chance of finding suitable accommodation for people leaving custody.
The committee has asked the Ministry of Justice to review its approach to placing Welsh prisoners in 18 months’ time, once the Sentencing Act 2026 has had time to bed in.
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