Ulster Unionist Justice spokesperson, Doug Beattie MLA has said that ending the separated regime in HMP Maghaberry should be the way forward for normalising our prisons.
Mr Beattie was commenting after the Prisoner Ombudsman for Northern Ireland published his 2016/2017 annual report.
Doug Beattie MC MLA said:
“I welcome the publication of the Prisoner Ombudsman’s report. It is clear that Tom McGonigle has set about his tenure with a real desire to see changes in our prisons in order to make them more humane and normalised with the rest of society. However, it is also clear that there remain many issues.
“I fear that the Northern Ireland Prison Service is still understaffed and under-valued and this will always be reflected in its ability to fulfil its role. In simple terms without investment in personnel and resources it is near impossible for prison officers to effectively monitor all prisoners.
“This is borne out in the Ombudsman’s report where he recounted on the three prisoner deaths in Maghaberry in the month of November 2016: ‘The chronological proximity generated understandable shock, especially as none of them was being managed under the procedures for prisoners who are considered to be at imminent risk, at the time of their deaths.’
“I also am hearted and concerned in equal measure by the level of prisoner complaints. Of the 4,299 complaints received - a 25% increase on last year - only 202 of these came from integrated prisoners. The remainder were multiple, identical complaints from separated prisoners on Roe 4 landing at Maghaberry prison.
“I remain convinced that ending the separated regime at Maghaberry over a protracted period of time should be the way forward. It is key to normalising our prisons and enabling prison officers the ability to spend more time with all prisoners fostering rehabilitation and punishment instead of the inordinate time spent dealing with republicans on Roe 4 and to a lesser degree separated loyalist prisoners.
“I believe that we must now look at the structures of the NIPS, the agreed demands of the Prison Officers Association (POA) and begin to invest in the very people who make our prisons work.
“In the meantime I wish Tom McGonigle well in whatever lies ahead and thank him for his work as the Prisoner Ombudsman over a particularly difficult time.”
ENDS