HMP Parc: Drugs failings published after Bridgend inmate loss of life

A record into the loss of life of a person at HMP Parc has raised critical considerations about how simply prisoners may get medication.

It comes after Lewis Petryszyn, 25 used to be discovered lifeless in his cellular in April 2022 with unlawful medication and unprescribed medicine in his device.

Staff had suspected he used to be promoting medication, and disciplinary listening to bureaucracy used to be slipped underneath his door in a while prior to he used to be discovered lifeless.

The record by means of the prisons ombudsman mentioned if the bureaucracy have been delivered in particular person, there would possibly were a chance to present Mr Petryszyn scientific consideration.

It mentioned the jail’s drug plan wishes updating.

The record comes after an unannounced inspection of HMP Parc in Bridgend in January published it used to be suffering to handle an alarming drug drawback, which used to be related to a upward thrust in deaths, after 17 inmates died in 2024.

Of the deaths G4S, which runs the jail, showed that 8 inmates had died from herbal reasons, and 5 had been believed to be associated with medication.

Despite the jail’s claims of constructing “significant improvements,” medication had been discovered 900 instances that 12 months.

While the formal reason for Mr Petryszyn’s loss of life has no longer been showed, checks confirmed he had “spice” in his device – a lab-made drug that mimics the results of hashish and is illegitimate.

Prison personnel had accumulated intelligence suggesting he used to be promoting psychoactive medication to different inmates, and a “debt list” believed to turn those that owed him cash used to be present in his cellular.

Mr Petryszyn used to be moved to some other unit per week later because of considerations he posed a danger to others, and a drug take a look at the day prior to his loss of life showed he had psychoactive elements in his device.

The ombudsman’s record published that disciplinary listening to papers had been slid underneath Mr Petryszyn’s cellular door about 45 mins prior to he used to be discovered lifeless.

This, the ombudsman mentioned, “meant that staff missed a possible opportunity to provide emergency medical care to Mr Petryszyn sooner”.

Kimberley Bingham, the appearing prisons and probation ombudsman, mentioned there used to be intelligence that Mr Petryszyn used to be supplying psychoactive elements in jail, however there used to be “little evidence” to signify that he used to be the usage of them himself.

She added: “While we are satisfied that prison staff appropriately submitted intelligence reports and acted on these by conducting cell searches and arranging for Mr Petryszyn to have a drug test, we are concerned about the availability of PS (psychoactive substances) at Parc.”

However, Mr Petryszyn examined certain for an unprescribed drug, olanzapine, which he “must have obtained illicitly”.

Ms Bingham added the record raised considerations about drug get admission to at Parc Prison and referred to as for an up to date technique to cope with each unlawful and misused prescription drugs.

She additionally mentioned the jail will have to have created a proper plan to handle allegations that Mr Petryszyn used to be bullying different inmates, including that personnel would possibly have had a possibility to save lots of his lifestyles if right kind procedures have been adopted when turning in his disciplinary paperwork.

“The officer who put the disciplinary hearing paperwork under Mr Petryszyn’s cell door should have handed it to him in person.

“Had he finished so, he would possibly have spotted that Mr Petryszyn used to be wanting scientific help,” Ms Bingham added.