Brendan McGuigan

Findings of the latest inspection were published today by Brendan McGuigan, Chief Inspector of Criminal Justice in Northern Ireland, and Peter Clarke, HM Chief Inspector of Prisons in England and Wales.

In a joint statement, they said inspectors “were immensely encouraged by the level of progress that had been made when this inspection of Maghaberry Prison was conducted in April 2018”.

The use of first names was now the norm and previous “no go” areas were being regularly patrolled. Efforts to reduce the supply and use of illegal drugs within the prison were also bearing fruit. Outcomes in relation to all four of the “healthy prison” tests had improved compared to three years ago.

The Chief Inspectors said they were also impressed by the work undertaken to reintegrate prisoners, who had been living in segregated conditions for long periods of time, back into the main prison population.

However, they remained concerned that work to support the most vulnerable men at Maghaberry had not developed to the same level as other aspects of safety, with “further progress” needed to implement recommendations from the Prisoner Ombudsman’s Office in its death-in-custody reports.

Reflecting on the key findings, Mr McGuigan and Mr Clarke said: “This is an immensely encouraging inspection of a prison that had previously struggled to provide a safe, respectful and purposeful environment for the men held there.

“We rarely see a prison make the sort of progress evident at Maghaberry. It is to the credit of all those involved that many of the outcomes for the men held at the prison are now among the best we have seen in this type of prison in recent years.

“We welcome the progress that has been made and would encourage all within the Prison Service and the South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust to maintain this focus on improvement so Maghaberry continues to move forward and meet the standards required from a 21st Century prison establishment.”

Ronnie Armour, director-general of the Northern Ireland Prison Service, said: “Today’s positive report has been delivered through the leadership of the late Governor Stephen Davis and the staff at the prison. That work has been built upon under the current Governor David Kennedy, his senior team and everyone working to support people in our care.

“We have a motivated, enthusiastic prison staff at Maghaberry doing excellent work, continually supporting and challenging those in our care to change their offending behaviour and work towards playing a constructive role when they return to the community. I want to thank all of our partners who continue to play an important role in helping us to build a safer community.

“The report also highlights where Maghaberry can continue to progress and we will work with our partners to ensure that all those in our care have the support they need.”

Mr Armour added that the construction of Davis House, a new 360-person accommodation at Maghaberry due to open in late 2019, is “a further example of progress and our intention to deliver 21st century prison standards in Northern Ireland”.