Inspectors rated outcomes for prisoners at Maghaberry Prison as poor for purposeful activity, the lowest of four possible grades. Purposeful activity covers education, training, work and time out of cell. The report, published in June 2023, also raised serious concerns about the prison’s response to self-harm and deaths in custody.
Criminal Justice Inspection Northern Ireland (CJINI) and HM Inspectorate of Prisons carried out the unannounced inspection jointly. Inspectors visited the prison between 20 September and 6 October 2022. Maghaberry is a high security prison for adult men on remand and serving long sentences.
The report recorded an estimated seven self-inflicted deaths since the previous inspection in 2018. Inspectors found “little evidence of institutional learning following these tragic incidents”. Rates of self-harm were similar to comparable prisons but were rising. Leaders had not done enough to understand that rise, and the prison had no clear plan to tackle it.
How inspectors graded the prison
Inspectors judge prisons against four healthy prison tests. These cover safety, respect, purposeful activity, and rehabilitation and release planning. Each test receives one of four grades: good, reasonably good, not sufficiently good or poor.
Maghaberry received a grade of not sufficiently good for safety. Respect was reasonably good, the same grade as at the 2018 inspection. Purposeful activity was poor. Rehabilitation and release planning was not sufficiently good.
That last grade marked a clear decline. In 2018, inspectors had judged outcomes good against the equivalent resettlement test. The report stated:”Oversight of rehabilitation at Maghaberry had deteriorated greatly since our last inspection.”
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY RESPECT ABOUT THIS INSPECTION There had been an estimated seven self-inflicted deaths since the last inspection in 2018, but there was little evidence of institutional learning following these tragic incidents.
HM Inspectorate of Prisons report
Safety, drugs and vulnerable prisoners
There was some encouraging news on violence. Most prisoners told inspectors they felt safe. The number of recorded violent incidents had fallen since the last inspection and was lower than in similar prisons.
Weaknesses remained, however. The formal process to address violent behaviour and support victims did not operate effectively. Leaders had also paused adjudications, the formal disciplinary hearings that had previously deterred poor behaviour.
Inspectors described oversight of prisoners in crisis, or with complex and challenging behaviour, as very poor. This included men held in the Care and Supervision Unit and those allowed to wear only anti-ligature clothing. Safeguarding processes were inadequate and did not comply with Northern Ireland Prison Service policy.
Drugs were a significant concern. In the inspectorate’s survey, 41% of prisoners said illicit drugs were easy to get. A further 28% said they had developed a drug problem while at Maghaberry. Inspectors found the prison lacked a sufficient strategy to address supply and demand.
Early days in custody also drew criticism. The committals unit, which handles reception, dealt with around 70 new arrivals a week. First night safety interviews still lacked privacy, and some men waited up to four hours to reach a cell. Inspectors called the cells in Bann House, the first night centre, the worst accommodation at the prison. Most men there spent over 22 hours a day behind their doors with little to do.
Other areas showed progress. Most use of force was low level, with good governance, and leaders acted when staff used excessive force. Use of segregation had fallen since 2018. A biometric system let most prisoners move around the site without an officer escort, which inspectors called impressive. The Donard Centre offered therapeutic activities to some of the most vulnerable men.
Too few men in education and work
Over half of eligible prisoners took no part in education, skills or work, and did not attend the gym. Inspectors said this harmed their learning, rehabilitation and resettlement. Only a minority, 22%, could develop work skills in areas such as the canteen, horticulture, industrial cleaning, laundry and recycling.
Staffing shortages in the Northern Ireland Prison Service lay behind many of the problems. The very good resources in the learning and skills centre sat largely unused. Staff redeployment forced the cancellation of many scheduled sessions. Information and communications technology courses had not run for an extended period, and waiting lists were long.
Achievement rates across education, skills and work were too low, and progression was very poor. The physical education department offered no weekend access, and access to the library was poor.
Inspectors did note strengths. Speech and language therapy, occupational therapy and physiotherapy were good. A new learning and skills facility for prisoners on the separated regime was very positive, although staffing issues also limited access to it.
Living conditions, health and release
Living conditions were generally good. A new purpose-built unit had replaced most of the unsuitable accommodation seen in 2018. Relationships between staff and most prisoners were good, and inspectors found most staff friendly and approachable. The kitchen employed up to 30 prisoners and produced food of reasonable quality.
Health care leadership was strong, and governance now drove improvement. Yet patients waited too long for primary care, routine mental health assessments and dentistry. Men needing a bed in an inpatient mental health facility also waited too long.
Persistent staff shortages had undermined rehabilitation work. Many prisoners had no plan to reduce their risk or build skills. Categorisation reviews had stopped in April 2020 and only recently restarted. Inspectors found little offending behaviour work, so some violent and sexual offenders left prison without having reduced their risks sufficiently.
More than a quarter of sentenced prisoners were serving life or other indeterminate sentences. These men had clear routes to progress and very good case conference reviews. Barnardo’s and NIACRO gave good support to families, and the prison facilitated an impressive number of video visits. Inspectors also identified four examples of notable positive practice.
The inspectorates published an independent review of progress at Maghaberry in February 2024. That follow-up visit assessed progress against the key concerns from this full inspection.
About this story
This story is based on HM Inspectorate of Prisons’ report on Maghaberry Prison, published on 16 June 2023, following an inspection that ended in October 2022. All figures and judgements are the inspectorate’s. Read the full inspection report · See the prison’s profile in our directory.
