© Tom Blewitt & Zack Griffiths – HMP Prisons Justice Group
HMP Parc is facing renewed calls for accountability after a young inmate suffered a code blue emergency following a suspected spice overdose—yet his mother was not informed until hours after he had returned from hospital. The incident has intensified criticism of private contractor G4S, which runs the prison, amid mounting allegations of neglect, drug trafficking, and systemic failure.
🔵 What Is a Code Blue in Prison?
In UK prisons, a “code blue” is the most urgent medical alert, triggered when an inmate is unconscious, not breathing, or experiencing a life-threatening emergency such as cardiac arrest or overdose. It demands immediate intervention from healthcare and custodial staff, often involving resuscitation and emergency hospital transfer.
In this case, the inmate was reportedly worked on for 30 minutes before being taken to hospital for further checks.
🙎🏼♀️ Mother Left in the Dark
Despite the severity of the incident, the inmate’s mother was not contacted officially by prison staff until around 4pm—long after her son had returned to his cell. She only learned of the emergency through another inmate who contacted her at 11am.
“Another inmate who was from our area contacted me to say he was code blue at 11am. I didn’t speak to anyone in the prison until 4pm to tell me what happened.”
During the eventual phone call, she described prison staff as rude and dismissive.
“She was very rude and said did I know why he was code blue. I said yes because of spice. She said exactly sarcastically. I then said how would she feel not knowing if her son was dead or not. She said ‘well my son’s not in prison is he.’ I asked for her details, she hung up.”
😡 Bullying, Mental Health, and Spice
The inmate, housed on B3 at HMP Parc, had been suffering with his mental health and was reportedly being bullied for money and vapes. He was so afraid that he voluntarily stayed behind his door with his padmate.
The overdose on spice—a synthetic drug known for its dangerous effects—has raised serious questions about the prison’s ability to prevent drug trafficking and protect vulnerable inmates.
🏥 Post-Hospital Neglect
After being discharged from hospital, the inmate returned and his bedding and clothes was covered in vomit, no replacements was provided by the Prison. His trainers had been stolen, and he was forced to sleep on a bare mat.
“When he got back to his cell his trainers had gone and all his bedding and clothes full of sick. He wasn’t given any replacement clothes or bedding, had to sleep on his mat.”
🏛️ G4S Response
In a statement issued to the mother, G4S said:
“Please accept my sincerest apologies for the unprofessional handling of your telephone call. We understand this must have been upsetting and this is not the standard of behaviour we expect from our team. We are taking this matter seriously and will ensure that all staff are reminded of the importance of professional conduct and clear communication when dealing with the public. This is a matter we are looking into internally to prevent a recurrence.”
❌ A Pattern of Failure
The HMP Prisons Justice Group has long campaigned for G4S to be stripped of its contract to run HMP Parc. Since the start of 2022, there have been 38 deaths in the prison. Staff have been arrested for smuggling drugs, staff planning attacks on inmates, and allowing sex offenders to add underage girls to their phone pins.
A spokesperson for the group said:
“The way this lad was treated at HMP Parc is absolutely disgusting. The lad suffered with mental health issues and was being bullied to the point he was scared to leave his cell. It’s very clear the overdose on spice happened because the prison failed to help him.”
“Questions need to be asked how this inmate was able to access spice in the first place. Drugs shouldn’t be made available in our prisons.”
“The prison behaved in an unprofessional manner in this case and in so many other cases. Yet no action is ever taken against these officers or G4S.”
“We are calling yet again for G4S to be removed from HMP Parc as a matter of urgency. The boys inside are unsafe under their care. We cannot have any more deaths. What is it going to take for them to go? The government need to act.”
The HMP Prisons Justice Group has vowed to continue monitoring conditions at HMP Parc and holding those responsible to account.
HMP Prisons Justice Group 