Progress addressing illicit substances at Magilligan ‘too slow’ inspection finds

Inspection Teams from Criminal Justice Inspection NI (CJI), His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons in England and Wales (HMI Prisons), the Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority (RQIA) and the Education and Training Inspectorate (ETI) undertook the IRPs in October and November 2023.

Progress against 14 of the recommendations in the 2021 inspection report on Magilligan Prison were followed up by Inspectors.

Jacqui Durkin, Chief Inspector of Criminal Justice in NI (CJI) and Charlie Taylor, His Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Prisons in England and Wales, said they ‘were disappointed that more progress had not been made at Magilligan Prison, particularly given that it had been over two years since the last full inspection there’.

“We found there had been either good or reasonable progress made against half of the recommendations being followed up and insufficient progress or no meaningful progress in the remaining seven areas. This was a concern.

“Progress in addressing the key concern related to illicit substances had been too slow and, while there had been improvements in the complaints process, formal consultation with prisoners remained poor and little had been done to address poor perceptions of staff victimisation which was a recommendation we first made in 2017.

"Effective systems were now in place to improve cleanliness and the Prisoner Development Unit was operating better than during our last visit. Progress had been made against recommendations related to the delivery of education provision but much more needed to be done,” they stated.

Justice Minister Naomi Long said: “Inspections play a vital role in holding us to account and offering scrutiny and focus on issues to be addressed. They help ensure those in prisons are supported throughout their sentence in a safe environment, one where rehabilitation can be facilitated.

“I am pleased that inspectors recognise the progress made at both Maghaberry and Magilligan, however I fully appreciate that there are areas where more work is required.”

Minister Long continued: “We have a rising prison population, many with complex needs including addiction and poor mental health. It is a sad fact that people in prison are more likely to have a history of drug use than people in the wider community.

“Prison staff work tirelessly to disrupt the flow of illegal substances into the jails, as well as supporting recovery from addiction. These issues make supporting the vital work of rehabilitation increasingly difficult.”

The Minister said: “However Prisons are making progress. Since their introduction in March last year, the X-Ray Body Scanners have had a major impact on stemming the flow of drugs and illegal substances coming into prisons.

"This helps to keep both staff and prisoners safer. The Prison Service is committed to maintaining strong partnerships with colleagues in the South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust and the Department of Health, particularly in seeking to disrupt the trade of medication within prisons.”

She concluded: “Substance use, addiction and poor mental health are intrinsically linked and there needs to be a whole government approach to tackling these issues. I want to acknowledge and thank prison staff who perform a very difficult role.”

Half of prisoners had drug problems before entering Derry jail which has higher rates of usage