Shadow Welsh Secretary, Cheryl Gillan MP, is demanding answers after figures she obtained showed that Parc Prison in South Wales has sacked 42 Prison Officers in the past decade.
To put these figures in perspective, this year alone eight officers have been dismissed which is just one less than the total figure for all other Welsh jails over the past ten years.
Parc, which is a private prison operated by Group 4 Securicor, has had a controversial history with allegations of racism and poor management.
The prison accommodates more than 1,000 places for adults, young offenders and non-convicted juveniles.
The Celtic League have raised a number of concerns about the prison over the years. In December 2001 we expressed particular concern about the death of a 17 year youth at the prison and followed this concern up with a complaint to the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture in June 2002 following another fatality. We also contacted the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child suggesting that the detention of the 17 year old who died in 2001 was a breach of the UN Standard Minimum Rules for the Administration of Justice, "The Beijing Rules" ( Part Two - section 13).
It is to be hoped that Cheryl Gillan MP will gain cross party support for her attempts to improve openness and accountability over Parc's staffing issues.
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J B Moffatt Director of Information Celtic League
18/11/07
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