:HM Prison Berwyn

The gaol's name was announced by then-Governor Russ Trent on 17 February 2016. The name Berwyn comes from the elements of Middle Welsh barr (summit, peak) and gwyn (white). A spokesperson for the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) said that the prison had been named after the Welsh mountain range.{{cite web |url=https://www.wrexham.com/news/new-prison-will-be-called-hmp-berwyn-107871.html |title=New Prison Will Be Called HMP Berwyn |date=17 February 2016 |website=Wrexham.com}} The original shortlist of six names was: Bridgeway, Marcher, Cerrig Tân, Dee Vale, Whittlesham and Y Berwyn.{{cite news |url=http://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/wrexham-prison-names-shortlist-revealed-10560431 |title=Wrexham prison names shortlist revealed |first=Steve |last=Bagnall |date=7 December 2015 |newspaper=Daily Post}} These names were suggested by local schools, communities and historical societies.

The prison is split into three houses, the first, Bala{{cite news |url=http://www.leaderlive.co.uk/video-pictures/2017/07/21/video/wrexham-s-new-212m-prison-can-be-force-for-good-as-first-inmates-arrive-91078/ |title=Wrexham's new £212m prison 'can be force for good' as first inmates arrive |first=Jonathan |last=Grieve |date=1 March 2017 |newspaper=The Leader |accessdate=25 August 2017 |quote=The facility is split into three blocks [...] named after bodies of water in North Wales – Alwen, Bala and Ceiriog.}} opening in February 2017 and the other two, Alwen and Ceiriog in the autumn. Each section can hold different communities including one for armed forces veterans.

It was designed to house 2100 men and to be the cheapest to run Category C prison in the country, with a projected cost of £14,000 per inmate. However as of 2019, it is still incomplete, only 60% full and costs £36,000 per prisoner each year.{{cite news |last1=Wainwright |first1=Oliver |title=Epic jail: inside the UK's optimised 'super-prison' warehouses |url=https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2019/sep/02/epic-jail-inside-super-prison-warehouses-architecture |accessdate=2 September 2019 |work=The Guardian |date=2 September 2019}}

The prison was planned to be at 75% capacity by the end of 2017{{cite web|url=https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/hmp_berwyn_opening_plan#incoming-933594|date=January 2017|title=Freedom of Information Act Request 109533}} but in June 2018, 16 months after opening, the prison was still only half full. It has been suggested that this is due to the contentious design of the prison, which requires a high proportion of prisoners to share cells, to cut costs.{{cite web|url=https://www.ft.com/content/93eb41c8-79fe-11e8-8e67-1e1a0846c475|date=28 June 2018|title=Half-empty super prison is 'on track', says UK government.|url-access=subscription|newspaper=Financial Times}}{{Better source|reason=Paywall for sourced information.|date=July 2019}} Prior to the design of Berwyn, the Prison Service worked on the basis that one person to a cell was the norm.{{Citation needed|reason=According to whom?|date=July 2019}}

In 2023, Liz Saville Roberts, Plaid Cymru MP, raised concerns about the prison, stating it had almost surpassed the 2,000 cell capacity for the first time since operating. She also claimed many cells had been trashed and not repaired, putting them out of usage.{{cite web | last1=Lynch | first1=David | last2=Bagnall | first2=Steve | title='Overcrowded' HMP Berwyn has 'trashed' cells and drug issues, MP claims | website=North Wales Live | date=30 November 2023 | url=https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/overcrowded-hmp-berywn-trashed-cells-28200725 | access-date=29 July 2024}}

In 2017, residents of the town Bala in Gwynedd were angered by the use of their town's name for one of the prison's houses,{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-39208633 |title=Berwyn prison wing name angers Bala, Gwynedd residents |date=9 March 2017 |website=BBC News Wales |accessdate=28 August 2017 |quote=A decision to name a wing at the UK's newest prison after a Gwynedd town has sparked anger among its residents [...] a petition has been started to change it.}}{{cite news |url=http://www.countytimes.co.uk/news/2017/03/15/gallery/council-backs-bala-name-change-at-wrexham-s-hmp-berwyn-50190/ |title=Council backs Bala name change at Wrexham's HMP Berwyn |first=Rory |last=Sheehan |date=15 March 2017 |newspaper=Powys County Times |accessdate=28 August 2017 |quote=Councillors have backed a campaign calling for place names to be removed from Wrexham's prison [...] More than 400 people have now signed the petition as it gathers momentum.}} with a petition being started, to get the name changed. The petition received over 400 signatures.

The first governor, Russ Trent{{cite web |url=http://www.wrexham.gov.uk/english/business/prison/faqs.htm |title=Background Information - North Wales Prison in Wrexham |website=Wrexham County Borough Council}} who had also served as project director, was suspended on 21 August 2018 following unspecified allegations. He returned to work after the investigation concluded with no action taken by the Prison Service. Nick Leader assumed the role of Governor in April 2019.{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-46810852|title=Suspended prison chief back at work|date=2019-01-10|access-date=2019-01-22|language=en-GB}}

In January 2023, it was revealed that three female guards at the prison had been jailed in the preceding three years for having illegal affairs with inmates.{{cite news |title=HMP Berwyn: Prison staff training after inmate affairs |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-64174658 |access-date=29 April 2023 |work=BBC News |date=5 January 2023}} In March, a Freedom of Information request found that 18 female members of staff were either suspected of having, or did have, inappropriate relationships with inmates.{{cite web | title=HMP Berwyn: Prisoner relationships see 18 staff quit or sacked | website=BBC Home | date=13 March 2023 | url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-64939208 | access-date=29 July 2024}}

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Category:Prisons in Wrexham County Borough

Category:2017 establishments in Wales

Berwyn