The criminal justice system in Wales currently falls under the England and Wales criminal justice system. There have been many proposals for a Wales-only criminal justice system that is aligned with the Welsh Parliament, known as the Senedd and to tackle Welsh criminal issues. Background Cyfraith Hywel or "Laws of Hywel Dda" was a system of medieval Welsh Law that was exercised in Wales, after being codified by the King of Wales, Hywel Dda who died in the year 950. The law of Hywel lost its importance after the conquest of Wales by Edward I and the Statute of Rhuddlan in 1284. The law retained some importance in Wales until the Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542. Since the Laws in Wales Acts, Wales has been part of the single legal jurisdiction of "England and Wales". Currently, the following matters are reserved to the UK parliament, meaning they cannot be amended by an Act of the Welsh Senedd: (a) courts; (b) judges; (c) civil or criminal proceedings; (d) pardons for crimes; (e) private international law; (f) judicial review of administrative action as well as policing. Despite recommendations for devolution of these matters to the Senedd by reports and individuals, the UK government currently disagrees with the devolution of justice to Wales. State of justice in Wales English prisoners in Wales In 2017, Frances Crook of the Howard League for Penal Reform said that "Wales is becoming the Botany Bay of the 21st Century. England shoving its urban poor onto the hulks and shipping them off to Wales." She added: “It’s just using cheap land and cheap labour. It’s not really investing in Wales, it’s exploiting Wales." Comparing the prison system in Wales as part of the England and Wales justice system to Scotland, she added, "Contrast Scotland (closing Cornton Vale jail, reducing prison use, crime falling) with Wales, building more prisons at England's behest." Wales-specific figures published In 2019, research by the Wales Governance Centre showed Wales specific figures for the first time ever. Sentencing figures showed that there were 154 prisoners for every 100,000 people in Wales, the highest in Western Europe. England came in second with 141 per 100,000, Scotland third with 135 and Spain fourth with 134. There were more people being jailed in Wales despite a lower crime rate than in England every year from 2013 to 2017. Dr Robert Jones said, "Gradually, a detailed