English: Diolch. I'd like to begin my contribution by stating once again that what has happened to the probation service, a service that I worked in for many years, has been heartbreaking to witness. It has been ripped apart by the Tories' ideological privatisation of the service and it's an unmitigated disaster. It's demoralised hard-working, experienced probation staff, resulting in many leaving in their droves. It's also diminished the service's ability to monitor offenders, thus reducing public safety. There have been a number of cases where offender monitoring has not been adequate, and this has resulted in tragic consequences. I'm sure I don't need to mention the case of Conner Marshall here. There are many others, too. Privatisation has been an expensive gamble that has backfired, as the Tories were warned that it would. Now, I agree completely with NAPO Cymru, who say that: 'Attempts to shoe-horn Probation into a market driven model are tortuous, have failed, and will fail.' I also agree with the Howard League for Penal Reform, who say, 'Commissioning arrangements should be based on cooperation and joint purpose rather than competition. ' The introduction of a profit element into the management of offender risk is obscene, and it should never have been considered in the first place. So, that's the past: what about the future? I agree with the decision to reunite offender management back into the public sector here in Wales. This will go some way to address the damage that has been done. While the changes implemented by the Tories can't be completely reversed, there is potential to reimagine a service that will help people get their lives back on track and to reduce their reoffending. I would, however, urge a note of caution and say that care needs to be given as to how further reorganisation is handled. Probation staff have been treated appallingly in recent years. Many people feel as though they've been taken for granted within that system. Further reorganisation, even when carried out with the best intentions for the best possible outcome, must be done in meaningful consultation with staff. Work with them, not against them. We can't afford to further demoralise staff, nor can we afford to lose even more expertise from the service. Now I'm sure I won't surprise anyone here by speaking in favour of the devolution of the criminal justice system. I wrote a policy paper back in 2008, it was called 'Making Our Communities Safer', and that recommended devolving the criminal justice system to Wales. Had we done that then, we might well have avoided that disaster that has become probation privatisation. At that time, that paper was seen as a radical document. Then, of course, powers over policing and criminal justice were vociferously opposed by many on the Labour benches, so it's positive to see that, in the intervening years, so many people have now changed their mind. When we consider the effects of Westminster cuts to policing, as well as the disaster that has been this probation service privatisation, for me, the case makes itself. Ten years ago, I argued that a devolved criminal justice system would allow Wales to take a different approach to the administration of justice. It would allow us the space to craft Welsh solutions to Welsh problems and make our communities and wider society a safer and fairer place for all of us. My view has not changed in the intervening decade and I'm pleased to see that there has been growing support for this to happen, not just from across this Siambr, but also from right across civic society, too. The Tories' approach to justice is punitive, it's unfair, and it's focused on generating private profit from criminalisation and human suffering. Their system is failing our communities. Devolving responsibility for criminal justice would allow us to take this out of the Tories' hands for good. It would allow us to forge our own path in Wales to create a fairer system that could be an example of securing real and fair justice to people in other countries as well.
Welsh: Diolch. Hoffwn ddechrau fy nghyfraniad drwy ddweud unwaith eto bod yr hyn sydd wedi digwydd i'r gwasanaeth prawf, gwasanaeth y bûm i'n gweithio ynddo am nifer o flynyddoedd, wedi bod yn dorcalonnus i'w weld. Mae wedi ei rwygo'n ddarnau gan b reifateiddio ideolegol y Torïaid ar y gwasanaeth ac mae'n drychineb llwyr. Mae wedi digalonni staff prawf profiadol, gweithgar, gan arwain at lawer yn gadael yn eu heidiau. Mae hefyd wedi lleihau gallu'r gwasanaeth i fonitro troseddwyr, ac felly wedi lleihau diogelwch y cyhoedd. Bu nifer o achosion lle na fu monitro troseddwyr yn ddigonol, ac mae hyn wedi arwain at ganlyniadau trychinebus. Rwy'n siŵr nad oes angen imi sôn am achos Conner Marshall yn y fan yma. Mae llawer o rai eraill, hefyd. Mae preifateiddio wedi bod yn achos drud o hapchwarae sydd wedi mynd o chwith, fel y rhybuddiwyd y Torïaid y byddai. Nawr, cytunaf yn llwyr â NAPO Cymru, sy'n dweud bod ymdrechion i wthio'r gwasanaeth prawf i fodel sy'n seiliedig ar y farchnad yn ddryslyd, wedi methu, ac y bydd yn methu. Rwy'n cytuno hefyd â Cynghrair Howard er Diwygio Cosbau, sy'n dweud y dylai trefniadau comisiynu fod yn seiliedig ar gydweithredu ac ar gyflawni amcanion ar y cyd yn hytrach na chystadleuaeth. Mae cyflwyno elfen o elw i reoli risg troseddwyr yn warthus, ac ni ddylai fod wedi'i ystyried erioed yn y lle cyntaf. Felly, dyna'r gorffennol: beth am y dyfodol? Rwy'n cytuno gyda'r penderfyniad i ailuno rheoli troseddwyr gyda'r sector cyhoeddus yma yng Nghymru. Bydd hyn yn mynd ran o'r ffordd i fynd i'r afael â'r difrod sydd wedi'i wneud. Er na ellir gwrthdroi yn llwyr y newidiadau y mae'r Torïaid wedi eu gwneud, mae modd dychmygu gwasanaeth a fydd yn helpu pobl i ailafael yn eu bywydau a gwneud llai o aildroseddu. Byddwn, fodd bynnag, yn rhoi gair o rybudd ac yn dweud bod angen gofal o ran sut yr ymdrinnir ag ad-drefnu pellach. Mae staff y gwasanaeth prawf wedi eu trin yn hynod o wael yn ystod y blynyddoedd diwethaf. Mae llawer o bobl yn teimlo eu bod wedi cael eu cymryd yn ganiataol yn y system honno. Dylai unrhyw ad-drefnu pellach, h yd yn oed pan gaiff ei wneud gyda'r bwriadau gorau ar gyfer y canlyniad gorau posibl, ddigwydd drwy ymgynghori'n ystyrlon â staff. Gweithio gyda nhw, nid yn eu herbyn. Ni allwn ni fforddio digalonni rhagor o staff, ac ni allwn ni fforddio colli hyd yn oed mwy o arbenigedd o'r gwasanaeth. Nawr rwy'n siŵr na fyddaf yn synnu neb yn y fan yma drwy siarad o blaid datganoli'r system cyfiawnder troseddol. Ysgrifennais bapur polisi yn ôl yn 2008 o'r enw 'Gwneud ein Cymunedau'n Fwy Diogel', ac roedd y papur hwnnw'n argymell datganoli'r system cyfiawnder troseddol i Gymru. Pe byddem ni wedi gwneud hynny bryd hynny, mae'n bosib iawn y byddem ni wedi osgoi'r drychineb honno a ddaeth o breifateiddio'r gwasanaeth prawf. Ar yr adeg honno, ystyriwyd y papur hwnnw yn ddogfen radical. Bryd hynny, wrth gwrs, roedd gwrthwynebiad croch i ddatganoli pwerau dros blismona a chyfiawnder troseddol gan lawer ar y meinciau Llafur, felly mae'n gadarnhaol gweld, yn y cyfamser, bod cynifer o bobl bellach wedi newid eu meddwl. Pan ein bod yn ystyried effeithiau toriadau San Steffan ar blismona, ynghyd â'r drychineb hon a ddaeth gyda phreifateiddio'r gwasanaeth prawf, i mi, mae'r achos yn amlwg. Ddeng mlynedd yn ôl, roeddwn yn dadlau y byddai system cyfiawnder troseddol datganoledig yn galluogi Cymru i wneud pethau mewn ffordd wahanol i'r Weinyddiaeth Gyfiawnder. Byddai'n fodd inni lunio atebion Cymreig i broblemau Cymreig a gwneud ein cymunedau a'r gymdeithas ehangach yn lle tecach a mwy diogel i bob un ohonom ni. Nid yw fy marn wedi newid yn ystod y degawd ac rwy'n falch o weld y bu cefnogaeth gynyddol i hyn, nid dim ond yn y Siambr hon, ond hefyd o bob haen o gymdeithas ddinesig, hefyd. Mae ffordd y Torïaid o weinyddu cyfiawnder yn cosbi, yn annheg, ac mae'n canolbwyntio ar gynhyrchu elw preifat o droseddu a dioddefaint dynol. Mae eu system yn siomi ein cymunedau. Byddai datganoli'r cyfrifoldeb dros gyfiawnder troseddol yn caniatáu inni gymryd hwn o ddwylo'r Torïaid unwaith ac am byth. Byddai'n caniatáu inni lunio ein llwybr ein hunain yng Nghymru i greu system decach a allai fod yn enghraifft o sicrhau cyfiawnder gwirioneddol a theg i bobl mewn gwledydd eraill hefyd.