Proposals for a Prisoner Ombudsman and new prisoner complaints procedure for Northern Ireland prisons were launched today.
The Prison Service said it had been considering the introduction of an independent element to the complaints procedure through the appointment of a Prisoner Ombudsman for some time.
Such an appointment has been raised by MPs on the Northern Ireland Affairs Select Committee and the Chief Inspector of Prisons.
Last year the Steele Review on prisons had said an ombudsman could make "a valuable contribution towards defusing the tensions that inevitably arise within any prison system".
A consultation document published today outlined the existing complaints process, set out the proposals for a new process and made proposals for the appointment of an ombudsman.
It also identified the changes to legislation that would be needed if the proposals were to be implemented and outlined a timetable for its implementation.
A shortened consultation period of just four weeks has been set - because of the extensive consultation which took place during the Steele Review.
PA