Written Answers to Questions - Northern Ireland Assembly
Written Answers to Questions - Northern Ireland Assembly
Written Answers to Questions - Northern Ireland Assembly
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Friday 20 July 2012 <strong>Written</strong> <strong>Answers</strong><br />
New Committals<br />
WA 595<br />
year<br />
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011<br />
All Other Prisoners 4337 4443 3,133 3,461 3,825<br />
Total 6061 6185 4,380 5,352 6,004<br />
Data for 2007 and 2008 should not be directly compared with data from 2009 <strong>to</strong> 2011 as the data<br />
sets are sourced from different systems.<br />
Healthy Prison Tests<br />
Mr G Robinson asked the Minister of Justice,pursuant <strong>to</strong> AQW 13273/11-15, and given that the<br />
results are not comparable, for his assessment of the benefits of these tests.<br />
(AQW 13481/11-15)<br />
Mr Ford: The ‘three’ marking attained by Magilligan Prison provides an indication of where Magilligan<br />
Prison sits against the ‘Healthy Prison tests’ carried out by HMIP.<br />
The full inspection report provided more details across a diverse range of areas, functions and<br />
activities within the prison. The report highlighted <strong>to</strong> NIPS the areas where performance was good but<br />
also provided NIPS with a number of recommendations for improving the current regimes available at<br />
Magilligan Prison.<br />
Searching Visi<strong>to</strong>rs <strong>to</strong> Prisons<br />
Lord Morrow asked the Minister of Justice (i) how many prisoners, at each prison facility including<br />
Hydebank Young Offenders Centre and the Juvenile Justice Unit, have been searched for drugs following<br />
a prison visit, in the last six months; (ii) how many were found <strong>to</strong> have drugs; and (iii) what action was<br />
taken against the prisoner and the visi<strong>to</strong>r in cases were drugs were found.<br />
(AQW 13488/11-15)<br />
Mr Ford: Throughout NIPS, all prisoners are searched for illicit items prior <strong>to</strong> and following each visit.<br />
In the past six months the following drug finds have been recorded: Maghaberry eight finds, Magillgan<br />
five finds and Hydebank Wood ten finds. In addition, there have been other visits terminated due <strong>to</strong><br />
suspicion of an article being passed.<br />
In all cases the prisoners involved have been subject <strong>to</strong> adjudications heard by the Governor.<br />
Punishments awarded range from cellular confinement <strong>to</strong> closed visits and a <strong>to</strong>tal of 24 visi<strong>to</strong>rs were<br />
barred from visiting any establishment.<br />
Woodlands Juvenile Justice Centre is not a prison facility. Planned visits are risk assessed in advance,<br />
closely supervised and moni<strong>to</strong>red.<br />
Acting Direc<strong>to</strong>r General of the Prison Service<br />
Lord Morrow asked the Minister of Justice how many meetings the Acting Direc<strong>to</strong>r General of the<br />
Prison Service has attended with the Committee for the Administration of Justice in each of the last<br />
twelve months.<br />
(AQW 13492/11-15)<br />
Mr Ford: The Acting Direc<strong>to</strong>r General of the <strong>Northern</strong> <strong>Ireland</strong> Prison Service has not attended any<br />
meetings with the Committee on the Administration of Justice (CAJ) in the last twelve months.