The Ban on Paper, Mail Restrictions, and Misplaced Accountability at HMP Berwyn

 

The Ban on Paper, Mail Restrictions, and Misplaced Accountability at HMP Berwyn

HMP Berwyn has implemented a ban on paper alongside increasingly restrictive policies concerning incoming mail and photographs. These measures are presented as necessary steps to combat the ongoing problem of drugs, particularly synthetic substances such as Spice. However, when examined closely, these policies reveal serious flaws in logic, fairness, and accountability. Rather than addressing the root causes of drug trafficking within the prison, the ban on paper and associated restrictions unfairly punish prisoners and their families while allowing deeper institutional issues to go unchallenged.

At present, all non-legal mail entering HMP Berwyn is photocopied, including letters, greeting cards, children’s drawings, and personal correspondence. Original items are withheld, and prisoners receive only black-and-white photocopies. Legal mail remains exempt, but everything else is treated as a potential security risk. This policy effectively amounts to a ban on original paper entering the prison.

This ban has far-reaching consequences. Personal letters lose their individuality and emotional value when reduced to photocopies. Handwriting, texture, colour, and even scent—small but meaningful elements of human connection—are stripped away. Cards become indistinguishable sheets of copied paper. For prisoners, many of whom rely heavily on family contact for emotional stability and motivation, this loss is significant and deeply felt.

A Policy Built on Assumptions, Not Evidence

The justification for the ban on paper is the claim that drugs are being introduced through letters, cards, and photographs. While it is true that some substances can be absorbed into paper, the blanket nature of this ban raises serious questions. There has been no transparent presentation of evidence showing that family mail is the primary or even a significant source of drugs entering HMP Berwyn.

What makes this policy particularly difficult to accept is the level of physical security already in place. HMP Berwyn is equipped with sealed windows that do not open, reinforced by wire mesh, controlled entry points, and surveillance systems. These features are designed to prevent contraband from entering from outside sources. Given this, it is reasonable to ask how drugs are still circulating so widely if external entry points are so tightly controlled.

If drugs continue to enter despite these measures, then the issue cannot simply be blamed on families sending letters and cards. The ban on paper appears to be an easy response that shifts responsibility away from the institution and onto prisoners and their loved ones.

Security Begins From Within

If HMP Berwyn is serious about tackling drug use, then it must be willing to examine internal security breaches. This includes reviewing the conduct and oversight of staff, contractors, and external agencies operating within the prison.

Every day, a wide range of professionals move in and out of HMP Berwyn, including prison officers, probation officers, teachers, healthcare workers, and maintenance staff. This is not an accusation against all staff, many of whom carry out their duties professionally. However, it is unrealistic and unfair to assume that the only security risk comes from prisoners’ families while ignoring other possible routes.

True security requires transparency and accountability at all levels. By focusing almost exclusively on mail restrictions and a ban on paper, the prison avoids addressing uncomfortable questions about its own systems and practices.

The Impact on Families and Human Dignity

The ban on paper has a profound effect on prisoners’ families. Families are no longer trusted to send personal letters, cards, or photographs directly. Instead, photographs must be ordered through approved commercial providers such as FreePrints, Moonpig, or Card Factory.

This requirement places unnecessary financial strain on families, many of whom are already struggling. Not everyone can afford to use commercial printing services. For families with children, the impact is especially harsh. A child’s drawing or handwritten card cannot be sent directly, removing a vital emotional link between parent and child.

These restrictions dehumanise communication. Family contact becomes transactional, regulated, and impersonal. The message sent is clear: families are viewed as part of the problem rather than as a support system essential to rehabilitation.

Selective Enforcement and the Illusion of Control

While the prison enforces a strict ban on paper and family mail, its approach to drug enforcement within the wings raises serious concerns. Prison officers regularly observe prisoners openly practising their faith, yet no meaningful action is taken. At the same time, officers frequently target prisoners who are known not to take drugs and who are not involved in drug-related activity.

These prisoners are subjected to repeated cell searches, not based on intelligence or suspicion, but because they are unlikely to have contraband. Officers know these searches will result in nothing being found, which guarantees a “clean” result.

This practice allows the prison to create the appearance of effective control. On paper, it looks as though numerous searches are being conducted with minimal findings, suggesting that drug use is under control. In reality, this approach avoids confronting the real problem and allows drug activity to continue.

Statistics Over Truth

If officers were to repeatedly search individuals genuinely suspected of drug involvement and consistently find drugs, it would expose serious failures in prison management and security. Such findings would reflect badly on leadership and raise difficult questions during inspections and reviews.

Instead, by focusing on compliant prisoners, the prison protects its image. Statistics improve, reports look favourable, and the underlying issue remains unaddressed. This reliance on numbers rather than outcomes undermines trust and fairness.

Prisoners who follow the rules and avoid drugs are punished with repeated searches and increased restrictions, while those involved in drug activity often escape scrutiny. Over time, this discourages positive behaviour and reinforces the belief that fairness does not exist within the system.

The Ban on Paper as Collective Punishment

The ban on paper represents a form of collective punishment. Rather than targeting specific risks based on evidence and intelligence, the prison has chosen to restrict everyone. All prisoners and families are treated as potential smugglers, regardless of their conduct or history.

Collective punishment is not an effective security strategy. It breeds resentment, damages morale, and undermines cooperation. Prisoners who feel unfairly treated are less likely to engage positively with staff or rehabilitation programmes.

Moreover, the ban on paper contradicts the prison’s stated commitment to rehabilitation. Writing letters, receiving personal mail, and maintaining family bonds are fundamental to emotional well-being and reintegration into society.

Rehabilitation Undermined

Modern prison policy recognises that strong family ties reduce reoffending and support mental health. Yet the ban on paper directly undermines these goals. By stripping communication of its personal nature, the prison weakens one of the most effective tools for rehabilitation.

Rehabilitation depends on trust, fairness, and dignity. When prisoners see that restrictions are imposed broadly and without clear justification, confidence in the system erodes. The focus shifts from self-improvement to mere survival within an increasingly restrictive environment.

A Call for Honest Reflection and Reform

The situation at HMP Berwyn highlights a broader issue within the prison system: the tendency to prioritise appearance over effectiveness. The ban on paper and the photocopying of all non-legal mail may look decisive, but they fail to address the root causes of the drug problem.

If meaningful change is to occur, HMP Berwyn must be willing to look inward. This means reviewing internal security, examining staff procedures, and holding all parts of the institution to the same standard of scrutiny.

Until then, policies like the ban on paper will continue to harm prisoners and their families while providing only the illusion of control.

Conclusion

The ban on paper at HMP Berwyn is not a solution—it is a distraction. It shifts blame away from institutional responsibility and places it onto prisoners and their families, who are already among the most vulnerable.

Real security does not come from blanket bans and photocopied letters. It comes from accountability, intelligence-led enforcement, and a genuine commitment to rehabilitation.

Until these principles are embraced, the ban on paper will stand as a symbol of misplaced priorities—one that damages human connection while failing to solve the problem it claims to address.