Conditions inside a high security prison in Northern Ireland are so bad the safety of inmates is at risk, a damning inspection report found today.
Maghaberry Prison near Lisburn failed to meet standards in all four of the internationally recognised tests for prisoner welfare, according to the Criminal Justice Inspection Northern Ireland.
The facility was one of only three out of 69 prisons inspected in the UK in the last three years that performed poorly in the critical area of safety.
Chief Inspector of the CJINI, Dr Michael McGuire, said: "With an average annual cost per prisoner place of £81,500, Maghaberry is one of the most expensive prisons in the UK.
"Yet, it has been found to be significantly underperforming in relation to what is expected of an effective UK prison in the 21st century.
"It is a prison with serious operational difficulties that will require a concerted effort to change. Our overall conclusion is that the current position at Maghaberry cannot continue and that there remains significant room for
improvement in its operation as a public service."
The unannounced inspection was carried out in January — less than six months after an inmate on 24-hour suicide watch hung himself.
Prison management and staff were heavily criticised in the wake of 34-year-old Colin Bell's death after it emerged that wardens who were supposed to be monitoring the high risk inmate were lying on beds watching TV.
But despite the incident, six months later inspectors found there was still no suicide or self-harm policy for the prison and poor monitoring procedures were still in place.
As well as the area of safety, Maghaberry failed on the other three recognised prison standards criteria of respect, purposeful activity and resettlement. In all the inspectors have made 200, 11 of which they say are core issued that need to be addressed urgently, recommendations that they want to see implemented.
Dr McGuire said he was "disappointed" that of 155 recommendations made after the last major inspection of the prison in 2006, only 83 had been achieved in the three years since.
He added that only two out of eight of the recommendations in relation to suicide and self-harm had been addressed.
Dame Anne Owers, Her Majesty's chief inspector of Prisons for England and Wales, also voiced concern about the situation inside Maghaberry.
"A clear development plan for improvement is required alongside a demonstrable management commitment to challenge the status quo and make change happen," she said.
"Without this commitment, we are not optimistic the substantial improvements that are needed will occur."
Reuters
