NI Prison Service gets multi-million pound facelift

Prison officers in Northern Ireland will now be able to manage the country’s inmates at the click of a mouse, thanks to a new IT system.

The system will be supplied as part of a multi-million pound contract announced on Wednesday April 10 between the Northern Ireland Prison Service (NIPS) and leading independent IT services and support company, Newell & Budge.

As part of the new contract, Newell & Budge will design and implement the Prison Record Information System (PRISM), which will, for the first time, provide up-to-date information on inmates across the three prison establishments in Northern Ireland. The single-integrated database will replace the numerous IT systems and paper-based methods that are currently used.

With PRISM, Northern Ireland's prison officers will be able to keep better track of inmate's whereabouts and concentrate on their care, thanks to the database which at a glance shows an inmate's personal and custody details, a record of activities carried out whilst in prison, details of movements including temporary releases and a record of money available in their personal accounts.

Throughout the seven-year contract Newell & Budge will provide a complete in-house project managed service, supporting the system across the three prisons and in Northern Ireland Police Service (NIPS) headquarters. As part of the contract Newell & Budge will work with its Northern Ireland based e-security partner, Celare.

Commenting on the deal, Ann Budge, chief executive of Newell & Budge, said: "This agreement is one of the largest new-build contracts we have undertaken to date. The deal has provided us with an opportunity to design a unique solution, which can be replicated for other prison services.

"We have aggressive geographical expansion plans and Northern Ireland has been identified as an ideal location to support our public sector business.

"As a result of this contract we will bring forward the opening of our new Belfast office. A presence in Northern Ireland will enable us to work more closely with our e-security partner Celare. We expect to grow the office over the next three years, employing over 50 staff."

This announcement follows the opening of a new Midlands office in Birmingham only last month.

Newell & Budge also provide consultancy and IT support services for a range of government departments and local authorities including the Scottish Executive, Cumbria County Council, and North Lanarkshire Council. (MB)