The Northern Ireland Prison Service is an executive agency of the Department of Justice, the headquarters of which are in Dundonald House in the Stormont Estate in

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingd ...

Background

It was established as an agency on 1 April 1995. Agency status was re-confirmed following a quinquennial review in 2000. The Prison Service is responsible for providing prison services in

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label=Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. North ...

. Its main statutory duties are set out in the Prison Act (Northern Ireland) 1953 and rules made under the Act. The Prison Service is a major component of the wider

criminal justice Criminal justice is the delivery of justice to those who have been accused of committing crimes. The criminal justice system is a series of government agencies and institutions. Goals include the rehabilitation of offenders, preventing other ...

system and contributes to achieving the system's overall aims and objectives. As the responsible Minister,

Minister of Justice A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice is a Ministry (government department), ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of ju ...

accounts to

Northern Ireland Assembly sco-ulster, Norlin Airlan Assemblie , legislature = Seventh Assembly , coa_pic = File:NI_Assembly.svg , coa_res = 250px , house_type = Unicameral , house1 = , leader1_type = ...

for the Prison Service and shares Ministerial responsibility and accountability for the criminal justice system as a whole with the Attorney General . The Prison Service is headed by the Director General. As of August 2009, the Northern Ireland Prison Service employed 1,893 staff.

Establishments

The Prison Service currently has three operational establishments: *

HMP Maghaberry HMP Maghaberry was built on the site of RAF Maghaberry, a World War II airfield near Lisburn, Northern Ireland, which was used as a flying station by the Royal Air Force and also as a transit airfield for the United States Army Air Forces. At t ...

: a modern high-security prison housing adult male long-term sentenced and remand prisoners, in both separated and integrated conditions. Immigration detainees are accommodated in the prison's

facility. *

HMP Magilligan HMP Magilligan is a medium security prison run by the Northern Ireland Prison Service situated near Limavady, County Londonderry. It was first opened in May 1972 and comprised eight Nissen huts on the site of an army camp. The prison was divid ...

- a medium-security prison housing shorter-term adult male prisoners which also has low-security accommodation for selected prisoners nearing the end of their sentences; *HM Prison and Young Offenders' Centre, HMP Hydebank Wood - a medium-to-low-security establishment accommodating male young offenders and all female prisoners (including female immigration detainees). There is also a staff training facility, the Prison Service College, at Hydebank Wood.

Prison Officers

Prison Officers operate the prisons and young offenders' centres. They wear a light blue uniform (similar but of a slightly lighter colour to HM Prison Service), consisting of a white shirt, blue tie, blue tunic and trousers (for males) and skirt (for females), black shoes or boots, black gloves and a blue peaked cap, with one style for males and another for females. Medals and a whistle on a chain are worn on the tunics. For everyday use, the tunic may be replaced with a sweater or jacket and skirts with trousers. Prison Officers may carry weapons and use reasonable force (as sworn constables) to protect people. They carry expandable batons.

Roles

Operational Uniformed Prison Grades in descending order of rank are as follows: * Governor in Charge * Deputy Governor in Charge * Functional Head * Unit Manager * Senior Officer * Officers, including: ** Main Grade Officer ** Operational Support Grade ** Night Custody Officer ** Custody Prison Officer The Prison Service also employs Prisoner Escorting and Custody Grades, which again are as follows in descending rank order: * Principal Prisoner Custody Officer * Senior Prisoner Custody Officer * Prisoner Custody Officer * Youth Supervision Officer

Officers killed in the line of duty

References

External links

Official websitePrison Act NI
{{UK home nations law enforcement agencies (non-police) Prison and correctional agencies 1995 establishments in Northern Ireland Penal system in Northern Ireland 1995 in law Government agencies established in 1995