©️ By Sophie Lewis | @sophielewiseditorial

“Silence protects systems, not people — and I won’t be complicit in that.”
— Kirsten Myles, former HMP Parc interviewee and whistleblower

A whistleblower has come forward with a formal statement exposing violent threats, toxic culture, and abuse of power at HMP Parc, one of the UK’s most controversial private prisons.

Kirsten Myles, who had applied for a prison officer role at the G4S-run facility, was left shaken by what she witnessed during her formal interview in May. According to her statement, senior staff made jokes about the prison’s drug epidemic, laughed casually about systemic failure, and then launched into a violent, defamatory tirade against Zachery Griffiths, a well-known prison reform advocate.

In front of her and another staff member, a senior male officer allegedly said:

• That Mr Griffiths was a registered sex offender
• That if he were placed at Parc, “officers would kill him”
• That “officers up and down the country” were “ready to kill” him

When a staff member tried to intervene, the man doubled down. When Myles asked if Griffiths was currently at Parc, the officer snapped: “F** no.”*

“He delivered these comments in an aggressive and volatile tone. I cannot, in good conscience, work in a system where this kind of behaviour goes unchallenged,” she wrote in her statement.

Myles raised her concerns formally with G4S. She says it was classed as a “most serious” internal incident, but no transparent outcome was shared. The response like many others before it, was buried behind internal processes and confidentiality clauses.

Now, she’s speaking out.

“I’m sharing this because it needs to be said. This has nothing to do with attention. I don’t need to explain my right to speak,” Myles stated in a public note alongside her redacted statement.

“Silence protects systems, not people.”

The implications are serious:

• Incitement of violence against a named individual
• Potential defamation
• Breach of recruitment ethics
• Cultural normalisation of harm within G4S senior ranks

Zachery Griffiths, the named target in the comments, has long been a vocal critic of G4S and the prison estate. His work focuses on harm reduction, transparency, and prisoner welfare, all themes that threaten the reputations of institutions built on control.

He is also the founder of HMP Prisons Justice Group, a grassroots-led campaign network advocating for prison transparency and reform.

In response to the statement, the group said:

“We are deeply concerned after hearing the remarks senior officers at HMP Parc have made regarding Zack. These comments show a total lack of regard for his welfare.
As a group, we are worried for his safety — and hearing this only intensifies our fears.”
— HMP Prisons Justice Group

Myles’ testimony adds to a growing body of evidence that HMP Parc is not just failing, it’s actively endangering both staff and the public. From deaths in custody to food shortages and violent segregation practices, the prison has been the subject of intense scrutiny.

This latest revelation, however, shows that the rot runs deep and reaches all the way to the top.

*G4S were contacted for comment regarding the allegations. No response was received by the time of publication.