Prisons

Part of 2. Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Local Government and Public Services – in the Senedd at 2:54 pm on 13 June 2018.

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Photo of Alun Davies Alun Davies Labour 2:54, 13 June 2018

Absolutely. There is a significant correlation between the distance from home and the number of home visits received, and I think that's something that we do need to reflect upon. In fact, as to many of the young people and children who are held in the young offender institution in Parc, for example, the furthest from home are actually English-domiciled people who come from London or Birmingham or elsewhere. Whilst I have no issue with people's address or original nationality, my issue is distance from home, and we do need to have facilities—in the case of children and young people, a centre where they can continue in education, where they can be provided with support. Many of these people have some complex needs, whether it is in terms of mental illness and substance abuse, but also they come from, sometimes, some very difficult backgrounds, and they need help and support rather than harsh incarceration. What I would hope that we'd be able to do in a Welsh penal policy is to root that in a sense of rehabilitation, support, humanity and respect to enable us to move forward in a very different way.