Prisons

The Northern Ireland Prison Service (NIPS) has launched a consultation on moving to smoke-free prisons. The consultation, which runs until the end of November, follows the successful implementation of smoke-free prisons in Scottish, English and Isle of Mann prisons in recent years.

A new £54 million accommodation block at Maghaberry Prison has been officially opened. Davis House is the largest capital build undertaken by the Northern Ireland Prison Service (NIPS) in over 30 years and the largest within the Department of Justice since its establishment in 2010.

Maghaberry Prison has become the first in the country to allow visits by autistic children, under a pioneering new initiative. A specially adapted crèche with sensory toys and apparatus has been installed to allow autistic children to visit their incarcerated fathers in a bid to improve rehab

Prisoners at Magilligan with ambitions to one-day work in the construction industry have taken part in the first ever Skillbuild NI competition in a UK prison. The Northern Ireland Prison Service, in partnership with the North West Regional College and Skillbuild NI, hosted the competition for priso

Almost half of the young people detained at Oberstown in the first three months of the year had previous remand or detention orders, new figures show. There were 75 young people – 72 men and three women – detained in Oberstown Children Detention Campus during the first quarter of 2019, w

The average daily prison population in Northern Ireland rose slightly to 1,448 during 2018/19, according to new figures. The male population increased to 1,384 and the female population increased to 65, representing an overall increase of 0.6 per cent.

Nearly one in two people released from Irish prisons in 2012 were convicted of another offence within three years, according to new figures from the Central Statistics Office (CSO). The rate of recidivism for prisoners released during 2012 was 45.8 per cent, down from 48.9 per cent in 2011 and conti

Sex offenders in prison will be invited to take part in a treatment programme without admitting or talking about their crime under new Irish Prison Service (IPS) plans, according to reports. The prison service is seeking funding to establish a new programme inspired by the Canadian "Rockwood program

The Irish Prison Service (IPS) has set out its strategic plan for the next three years, with a strong focus on improvements to transparency and governance. The strategy has been built around five pillars: staff support; prisoner support; safe and secure custody; the prison estate; and governance.

Life sentence prisoners in Ireland serve an average of 17-and-a-half years in custody, according to the latest figures from the Parole Board. The Parole Board reviewed 122 prisoners over the course of 2018 and recommended seven long-sentence prisoners for reviewable temporary release, according to i

Northern Ireland's criminal justice agencies will today meet with the head of the NI Prison Service following a news report on the number of post-custody deaths in the past five years. A total of 23 people have died within a fortnight of being released from prison in the past five years, according t

Prisons expert Professor Phil Scraton has called for an independent inquiry into mental health services in Northern Ireland prisons after an internal review was postponed again. Former Justice Minister Claire Sudgen announced a review of procedures regarding vulnerable people in custody in 2016, but

A majority of Irish employers would be willing to hire an ex-offender if they were provided with support to do so, according to new research by SOLAS, the Further Education and Training Authority. SOLAS and Mountjoy Prison are jointly hosting an event at Ibec's offices today on the benefit to workpl

Criminology lecturer Dr Ian Marder and postgraduate student AnnMarie Maher of Maynooth University Department of Law consider the needs of children of imprisoned parents. The children of imprisoned parents suffer some of the worst unintended harms caused by criminal justice systems. It is estimated t

A prison has installed a stairlift for elderly inmates amid an increase in requests for walking frames, thermal underwear and wedge pillows, The Times reports. Cells and showers have also been adapted to accommodate inmates with mobility problems.