Yet More Evidence of Growing Lawlessness in Prisons
29 November 2011
“In response to an Assembly Question I have established that there have been a total of 4,411 security alerts over the last five years in Northern Ireland’s prisons. Although some of the alerts fall into a number of different categories so there may be an element of double counting in relation to some incidents the total is staggering.
“When one looks at the breakdown of the figures some startling facts emerge. In Maghaberry there were 38 cell wrecks in 2010 – almost double the total for the previous four years. There have also been a steady and alarming rise in the need for control and restraint incidents in the prison. There were 44 incidents in 2006 but this rose to 75 in 2009 and 138 in 2010.
“There has also been an alarming rise in the number of inmate on inmate assaults in Hydebank with a total of 64 in 2010 compared with 42 in 2006 and 39 in 2007.
“The figures also reveal an alarming number of drug incidents in Magilligan with over 700 drug related incidents there over the last five years.
“Just as the upsurge in hostage situations in our prisons – in one prison there have been five in the last four months – had gone unpublicised until I uncovered them by way of an Assembly question last week these problems had, until now, gone on unnoticed.
“It is evident that there is a serious problem of lawlessness inside our prisons and under Minister Ford’s watch this has grown considerably worse.
“These statistics reinforce my belief that David Ford needs to come to the Assembly and explain just want is going on inside our prisons.”
Note: Charity for what precisely the Department of Justice defines as “Trafficking” - of which there have been 312 examples in Northern Ireland's prisons in the last 5 years - was requested from the Minister’s Private Office yesterday afternoon. Despite a phone call again asking for clarification today Minister Ford’s office has yet to explain what is meant by the term.
For the full breakdown provided by Minister Ford contact Jim Allister's office.
