Black comments on news of prison overcrowding

12.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Wed 6th Aug 2008

Commenting on the news that Swansea Prison is the second most overcrowded Prison in England or Wales, the Welsh Liberal Democrat spokesperson for Social Justice, Peter Black said:

"I am shocked that any prison can be allowed to reach 177% capacity. Clearly conditions in Swansea prison have past the level at which they can be considered safe for either the prisoners or those charged with looking after them. There is already an urgent need to invest in upgrading these buildings without the added burden of overcrowding being added to the problems faced by all those involved in the prison.

"Poor conditions in prison contribute to the rate at which criminals reoffend. They also impede important rehabilitation work and treatment for drug and alcohol dependency. The Government needs to tackle this situation urgently by looking for alternatives to prison to low level offences as well as investing in upgrading the prison estate."