Criminal Justice System Wales 2025-12-16

Opened the debate

People often think criminal justice affects others, but it impacts real people and families. The debate focuses on Gwenno Ephraim’s story from Blaenau Ffestiniog, where she faced a mental health crisis leading to imprisonment far from home due to Wales lacking female prisons. Her experience highlights the lack of support for women, poor diagnosis in prison, and difficulty reintegrating into society upon release. The debate also discusses the high incarceration rate for women in Wales and the challenges of housing prisoners far from their communities, impacting rehabilitation efforts. The lead MP raises concerns about the lack of devolved criminal justice system and calls for better mental health support and a more integrated approach to probation services.

Government Response

The Minister acknowledges Gwenno's case as a critical example of systemic failure in the criminal justice system. She commits to meeting with Gwenno’s family and ensuring they receive direct answers to their questions. The government is working on the women's justice board, closing gaps, supporting recommendations for short sentences, improving wraparound support services, and addressing issues arising from the interface between reserved and devolved responsibilities. There are structured mechanisms in place for cooperation between the Ministry of Justice and Welsh Government, such as a formal concordat and memorandums of understanding on various aspects of justice delivery. The minister discusses the performance of prisons in Wales, highlighting strengths in leadership and governance at HMP Usk. She acknowledges backlogs in courts but mentions successful initiatives like the pathfinder pilot for family law proceedings. The government recognises the importance of Wales-specific data and is committed to publishing further disaggregated data on homelessness and Welsh language use among prisoners by the end of 2026, aiming to address concerns about support for women in prison. The Minister acknowledged the concerns raised regarding the impact of criminal justice initiatives on devolved services in Wales. He emphasised that the Government has committed to undertaking a strategic review of probation, which will include considerations for devolution and bespoke work for Wales. The minister highlighted that the Sentencing Bill and upcoming legislation to implement recommendations from an independent review of the criminal courts are key components of their action plan, aimed at stabilising the system before reviewing governance arrangements further. The Minister assured continued engagement with the Welsh Government and devolved authorities to ensure effective and sustainable service delivery in Wales. He mentioned ongoing discussions about this work's impact on devolved services and expressed willingness to bring stakeholders into the process for bespoke solutions. The minister concluded by expressing a commitment to working closely with partners in Wales to deliver systems that meet Welsh users' needs, acknowledging the positive picture in Wales across criminal, civil, and family justice spaces.