Concerns Remain Over Safety Of Inmates At Maghaberry Prison

Concerns remain over the safety of inmates at Maghaberry Prison in Co Antrim, according to a new report.

Vulnerable prisoners are still not getting enough support, and the availability and use of drugs is also of major concern, according to the Criminal Justice Inspectorate.

Brendan McGuigan, Chief Inspector of Criminal Justice in Northern Ireland, said: "Inspectors found that while mental health support and assistance provided to new prisoners has improved since January 2016, there was still no overall safer joint custody strategy in place to comprehensively address safety issues, for those who were vulnerable."

Mr McGuigan said: "Inspectors found that prison management were not monitoring the prison's death in custody action plan in a sufficient manner, to ensure responses to Prisoner Ombudsman recommendations were embedded within operational practice at Maghaberry, to support prisoners deemed to be vulnerable to suicide or self-harm."

He also indicated that Inspectors had found no significant progress had been made in addressing the concerns raised in May 2015 and repeated in January 2016, around the abuse of drugs at Maghaberry.

However, Mr McGuigan said Inspectors were "encouraged" by the continuing efforts to address the serious concerns identified by a multi-disciplinary inspection team in 2015 around safety, stability and leadership.

Justice Minister Claire Sugden said: "I am encouraged by the results of this latest report by Inspectors. It underlines a sense of momentum by NIPS and prison management who are united in their efforts to turn the prison around.

"Where inspectors had previously highlighted the facility to be unsafe and unstable, they have now acknowledged a significant cultural change through management, staff and prisoners' regime. We must build upon this good work.

"However, there remain concerns that the issue of substance misuse, the availability of illicit drugs and how vulnerable prisoners are managed could undermine the positive work being done.

"Managers and staff have responded positively to deal with all of these challenges and earlier this week the Health Minister Michelle O'Neill and I announced a review of vulnerable prisoners. Together we appreciate the scale of the challenge in respect of mental health and addiction in prisons and the need for joined up partnership working to address this."

(CD)