Parc (HM Prison)

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HM Prison Parc is a privately run prison in Bridgend, South Wales. It is run by the private security firm Securicor, and was the first prison in the UK to be built under the Government's Private Finance Initiative.The government pays Securicor a fixed amount per prisoner kept in the prison. It needs this to re coup the running costs and the £80 million it spent on building the prison. The prison is very hi-tech, with computer systems, swipe cards and personalised voice identification equipment. The inmates are free to move around certain parts of the prison using their swipe cards to unlock doors. They can use communal leisure facilities, including a large TV. There is an 8,000 book library as well as an intensive education and training programme. The inmates earn small amounts of money by doing a variety of jobs in the prison, including low level maintenance work. By using the most up-to-date computer and surveillance equipment, Securicor has cut down the number of staff needed in the prison and has increased security, making it more difficult for prisoners to escape.*

The prison used to be a psychiatric hospital until it was closed down, and patients either moved to other hospitals in the area or into the community. The prison has a capacity of 1000 inmates and is classed as a Category B prison.

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• *source: adapted from financial Times, 27 September 1997