On 16th October 2020, Clwyd South MP, Simon Baynes, spoke in Parliament to show support for the Prisons (Substance Testing) Bill during its second reading.
The Bill seeks to ensure prisons are safe environments for rehabilitation by making provision for substance testing, in turn helping to keep staff and inmates safe.
Simon Baynes MP said he recognised the importance of the Bill and paid tribute to HMP Berwyn, in the neighbouring constituency of Wrexham. He also spoke about his frequent contact with people who work there, people who have family members who are inmates there, and people who make products with the prisoners’ help in their workshops. And that he recognises how prisons are very complex places and how the Bill is vital in detecting psychoactive substances and helping to improve rehabilitation rates.
Simon Baynes MP said:
“This Bill is of great importance. It is not just a matter of detecting where drugs are in prisons, which is extremely important; it is about successful rehabilitation. Testing provides a greater understanding of the extent and nature of drug abuse in each facility, which allows prison governors and staff to target their efforts.
“Anything that we can do that makes the lives of prison officers and inmates easier—and I believe that that would be achieved by this Bill—has my wholehearted support.”
