My view regarding the potential building of a prison in Baglan, Port Talbot—and I live in Port Talbot—has always been that public consultation is extremely important, along with risk assessments, environmental factors—for example, traffic congestion—and, as previously mentioned, flooding in the area. We must also take into consideration alternative suitable sites. But should the above criteria be passed and the green light given, we have to accept that prisons are permanent features of our society. What alternatives are there to imprisonment? We’re open to suggestions.

A custodial sentence is often the last resort by judges where reoffending has occurred or the crime has been too serious. And where there is crime, there is a victim. Try telling a lady who’s been the victim of domestic abuse with a broken nose and broken ribs that we are looking for an alternative to prison for the offender. There will be public outcry. The victim of a crime needs to feel safe and secure in their community. Taking a perpetrator out of society for a period of time gives the victim peace of mind and the perpetrator a chance in prison to rehabilitate.

If prisoners are locked up in cells 23 hours a day, there is very little chance of rehabilitation happening or of it being successful. My work in HMP Parc concentrated heavily on rehabilitation. Prisoners are not locked up 23 hours a day, but were actually out for 14 hours a day, as per contract. A typical day would be: breakfast at 7 a.m., exercise and shower; prisoners then went to various groups: education, industries, work, court discharges, visits with family. The industries provided horticultural work, woodwork, metal work, printing, to name just a few. With regard to rehabilitation, there is a family unit, which concentrates on building family life following crime and provides mediation with that family. There is an armed forces unit, particularly for PTSD, drug and alcohol issues and family breakdowns. Some also train—some prisoners train as listeners and work with the Samaritans. They then leave prison, and many have gone on to become councillors. The health and wellbeing unit assists with disabilities and concentrates on how to improve lifestyles, make changes to benefit health, learning about nutrition, dealing with obesity, prevention of diabetes and so on. There is a healthcare unit for poor copers with mental health issues; there is a voluntary testing unit for people who have taken drugs but have quit and wish to be tested randomly to make amends to their family and contribute positively to society. D block is a pre-release block, which links up with probation. A jobs fair is held every six months and prisoners meet with prospective employers on this unit. Prisoners are released into the community prior to release for a day now and then; this is not a new concept. When prisoners are released permanently, where do they go? They go back into the community with as much preparation for this release as is possible, and day release is important. Some prisoners have been fortunate and were selected from HMP Parc for the merchant navy. So, there are positives of rehabilitation that are not being portrayed here.

One of my proudest moments was after handing a prisoner who was from a travelling family his mail. He tore it up in pieces and threw it at me like tiny confetti. I told him someone had taken time to write it, and perhaps he should have read it first, and would he now mind cleaning it up. He cleaned up his mess and went back to his cell. He explained later in a one-to-one that he could not read at all, hence the reason he always seemed to be breaking rules; he couldn’t read the policies, could he? Initially, I helped him on a one-to-one, and later he joined a class. After a year, he proudly took the letter from his mum and read it to me.

The prisons in Wales are always at full capacity, which can lead to overcrowding. Some Welsh prisoners end up in England, making visiting impossible. Therefore, if we are to successfully rehabilitate and integrate offenders, then surely family visits are of paramount importance. There is also the employment factor to consider: employment within our steelworks has been drastically reduced in Port Talbot and many people would welcome the opportunity to retrain. It is not just prisoner officer jobs; there are non-operational roles: catering, healthcare, to name but a few. Money spent outside will boost the economy. During construction, it would be great if Welsh steel was used and local labour also provided. Due to opportunities at HMP Parc, many have left and now lead former productive lives upon release. However, private contractors are not tendering for prisons, and therefore, I suggest that the inference that this is a lucrative business is slowly going down the pan. Yes, we can look at the positives and negatives of tagging as an alternative, but, at the end of the day, if we are having a prison, public safety is of paramount importance, as is the safety of staff and prisoners, and any prison must be properly resourced to bring about successful rehabilitation and safety of staff. Thank you.