The Director of HMP & YOI Parc in Bridgend today pledged to continue the good work of her staff as the privately-operated prison was hailed by inspectors as a ‘well-run and innovative prison’.

Janet Wallsgrove, of G4S Care and Justice Services (G4S), which has operated the all-male Category B prison since its opening in 1997, welcomed the findings published today in a report by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons (HMIP), but pledged to continue to push forward with innovation.

Janet Wallsgrove said:

“We are pleased and proud that the work we have done here at Parc has been recognised. It’s a testament to the hard work and commitment of staff. I would like also like to recognise the significant contribution made by our partners and the importance of an integrated approach to criminal justice in Wales.

“We always aim to ensure that everything we do makes a significant contribution to both reducing reoffending and making our communities safer.”

The report praised Parc in a number of areas, including the level of support provided to prisoners with resettlement. The prison’s work to help prisoners develop and sustain constructive relationships with their families was described by inspectors as ‘outstanding’.

“We run a challenging but innovative regime which aims to return men to their communities with the skills that will equip them to enter the workplace, which is key factor in reducing reoffending,” explained Janet Wallsgrove.

“Our ground-breaking work with families recognises the contribution that prisons need to make to reduce the risk of inter-generational offending. At the moment six of ten boys with fathers in prison go on to become offenders themselves. Early indications strongly suggest that working intensively with prisoners and their families is a major factor in reducing reoffending and since we opened our family unit opened less than three years ago, we’ve seen a huge reduction in these rates which can only benefit society.”

HMP & YOI Parc currently houses 1,336 adult prisoners and young offenders, however the prison is set to become the UK’s largest prison with the opening of a 387-place accommodation block  in early 2015. This will present its own challenges which is recognised in the report, but is one to which the staff are keen to rise.

“We see the expansion as an opportunity to introduce further innovation and good practice,” explained Janet Wallsgrove. “We are already working hard to address the areas of concern raised by the Chief Inspector and we are confident that the prison will continue to improve, despite the challenge of expansion.”

• In October HMP &YOI Parc Parc was awarded a level 4 ‘Exceptional Performance’ Prison Rating System (PRS) score for 2012/13 by the National Offender Management Service, the highest rating possible. The prison is one of 18 of 134 prisons to receive the rating and is currently the only privately-run prison with this PRS score.