Lifers Treated Well In NI Prisons - Report

Life sentence prisoners are being well managed in Northern Ireland, both in prison and while under supervision in the community, and their management has improved "significantly".

That is the conclusion of a Criminal Justice Inspection Northern Ireland report published today, called 'Management of life and indeterminate sentence prisoners in Northern Ireland'.

But the report warned that some key areas must be improved to ensure public protection and confidence in the criminal justice system.

Deputy Chief Inspector Brendan McGuigan said probation and parole officers were working under fuller guidelines since a previous review in 2009, and the Parole Commissioner's increased communication with criminal justice agencies had boosted the quality of case management.

But he said: "Protection of the public must be at the forefront of any decision to release life sentence prisoners. It is vital that they are subject to thorough assessment and testing before they can be considered for release as they have been convicted of the most serious offences."

Three points were recommended for improvement: for the Probation Service and others to urgently establish a new step-down facility for lifers, to reconfigure the respective roles of the prisons' and probation psychology services, and to improve delivery of Offending Behaviour Programmes (OBPs) in the prisons.

The Prisoner Assessment Unit is suspended and Mr McGuigan said a new pre-release scheme should replace it "as a matter of urgency".

He concluded that the report's recommendations, if properly implemented, should significantly enhance the quality of risk management and prisoner resettlement, while also delivering financial savings.

(NE)