Attachment B
ISSUES WHICH AROSE DURING REVIEW
RESOURCES
1. Staffing Levels
In recent times the Governor of Maghaberry has
not been able to provide a full regime to prisoners, particularly
those on remand. This seems to derive from recent protests and
high levels of sick absence as well as an inefficient shift system.
The Director General has told the Review Team that steps are being
taken to improve attendance management and to deal with the high
levels of sick absence. The Review Team welcomes this but wishes
to emphasise that an irregular regime and long lock-ups work against
the safety of prisoners and staff.
2. Fine Defaulters
Fine defaulters consume a lot of resources which
could be used more beneficially. The Secretary of State should
find a way of dealing with them other than imprisonment, for example
community service. In the meantime they should go to Magilligan
rather than Maghaberry.
3. Detainees
A number of detainees are held in Mourne House.
The Review Team suggests that urgent steps are taken to deal with
them outside the prison system.
STAFF
1. Morale
In general the morale of staff in Maghaberry
is not high. The leaking of large numbers of their names and addresses
has not helped. Neither has a subsequent incursion of Republican
dissident supporters into Dundonald House. And these were compounded
by what the staff see as foot-dragging and penny-pinching on security
precautions at their homes. The pipe bomb attacks at the homes
of several officers has emphasized the dangers. In addition, staff
feel they do not receive credit for what they do and that management
does not always support them as fully as they might. The Review
Team's report may not help matters as it will be seen by many
as another concession to prisoners. These issues together constitute
a leadership/management challenge of a high order and a concerted
strategy should be drawn up, involving Headquarters and the prison,
to address it.
2. Prison Officers Association
Relationships are poor between the two local
Maghaberry Committees of the Prison Officers Association and the
Governor. So are the relationships between the POA at regional
level and Prison Service Headquarters. This is unhelpful all round
and steps should be taken to rectify matters. A good start was
made during the Review when the POA responded positively to a
Headquarters proposal for a review of the regimes, task lines,
shift patterns etc.
3. Confidence
The Governor should do everything in his power
to build up the confidence of staff, especially those who deal
with paramilitary prisoners. Training, sympathetic management,
close support and help after serious incidents, as well as regular
change of work area, can all play a part.
4. Recruiting
When recruiting recommences a special effort
should be made to recruit from the nationalist community. This
may not be easy but the effort should be made.
REGIME
1. Doubling
The Review Team considers that the cells in
Maghaberry prison are unsuitable for holding two prisoners, except
perhaps those serving very short sentences, and hope that the
Governor will work towards a substantial reduction in this practice.
2. Remand/Sentenced
At present sentenced prisoners and those on
remand are held separately. The Review Team considers that greater
efficiency in regime delivery might be achieved if they could
be held together.
3. Bureaucracy
It should not be necessary to apply every day
for prescribed medication. Nor should it be necessary to fill
in a form if you want to go to church. And an efficient letter
censoring process should be regarded as a priority.
4. Newspapers
Newspapers for prisoners can only be ordered
and paid for at a newsagent in Maghaberry village where some nationalist
families feel uncomfortable because of loyalist flags and symbols.
A second supplier should be identified at a neutral location.
5. Drugs
It is never going to be possible to eliminate
drugs from a prison but every effort should continue to be made
to do so. A drug-free area or areas should be established.
SECURITY
1. Cameras
The Review Team considers that the closed circuit
television system should be upgraded and extended throughout the
prison
2. Reserve accommodation
At present there is little reserve accommodation
available in the Northern Ireland Prison system (other than Maze
which will soon become unavailable). This needs to be rectified
as soon as possible either by accelerating a proposed new build
at Maghaberry or by arranging other emergency measures.
3. Searching
The Review Team was told that prisoners are
not searched on return from workshops and that x-ray and metal
detector machines are often turned off. This needs to be rectified.
4. Staff Security
Staff consider that their security could be
improved if staff and visitors did not enter the prison at the
same gates and if the staff car park could not be seen by visitors.
The Review Team considers these fears to be not unreasonable in
all the circumstances and suggests the Governor examines ways
of meeting them. Similarly staff feel that security precautions
at their homes are being implemented too slowly. The Northern
Ireland Office should examine ways of speeding things up.
5. Quakers
At present Quaker staff are required to enter
the visits area through the search box with prisoners. This can
be an unpleasant experience and staff should be permitted to revert
to entering with visitors.
VISITS
Family visits should be a pleasant and beneficial
experience for all concerned. There is, however, at present a
whole complex of problems associated with family visits at Maghaberry
leading to much dissatisfaction and anger. There are problems
getting through to the prison to make a booking, problems with
queuing at the gate in all weathers, problems of timing, problems
relating to the environment in visits and, last but not least,
problems relating to the passive drug dogs and the use of closed
visits. In addition, families allege that prison officers' attitude
to them is very much less than satisfactory. The Review Team has
discussed the situation with the Director General and suggested
to him that these problems are urgent and that closer management
and training should be put in place immediately.
COMMUNICATION
1. Public Relations
The general public in Northern Ireland harbour
a number of misconceptions about prisons here. These range from
"too soft" and "the prisoners get whatever they
want" to "the prisoners are victimized by a sectarian
staff". The Prison Service should draw up a plan to inform
the public about the realities of life in prison for staff and
inmates. This would lead to greater understanding of the role
of prison officers and make it more difficult to justify prison-related
protests and street demonstrations. It may be appropriate to engage
a public relations consultant/agency.
2. Prisoner Support Groups
At present the Prison Service appears to have
little communication with political and other groups representing
the interests of prisoners. The Review Team believes that building
constructive relationships with such groups at Headquarters and
establishment levels could be useful for both the Service and
the prisoners.
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