Northern Ireland Prison Service

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Northern Ireland Prison Service
AbbreviationNIPS/HMP
Agency overview
Formed1 April, 1995
Employees1,893
Jurisdictional structure
Operations jurisdictionNorthern Ireland
Legal jurisdictionAs per operations jurisdiction
Governing bodyDepartment of Justice
Constituting instrument
  • Prison Act (Northern Ireland) 1953
Operational structure
Elected officer responsible
Website
https://www.justice-ni.gov.uk/topics/prisons
Dundonald House by night

The Northern Ireland Prison Service is an executive agency of the Department of Justice, the headquarters of which are in Dundonald House in the Stormont Estate in Belfast.[1]

Background[]

It was established as an agency on 1 April 1995. Agency status was re-confirmed following a quinquennial review in 2000. The Prison Service is responsible for providing prison services in Northern Ireland. Its main statutory duties are set out in the Prison Act (Northern Ireland) 1953 and rules made under the Act.

The Prison Service is a major component of the wider criminal justice system and contributes to achieving the system's overall aims and objectives. As the responsible Minister, Minister of Justice accounts to Northern Ireland Assembly for the Prison Service and shares Ministerial responsibility and accountability for the criminal justice system as a whole with the Attorney General . The Prison Service is headed by the Director General. As of August 2009, the Northern Ireland Prison Service employed 1,893 staff.[2]

Establishments[]

The Prison Service currently has three operational establishments:

  • HMP Maghaberry: a modern high-security prison housing adult male long-term sentenced and remand prisoners, in both separated and integrated conditions. Immigration detainees are accommodated in the prison's Belfast facility.
  • HMP Magilligan - a medium-security prison housing shorter-term adult male prisoners which also has low-security accommodation for selected prisoners nearing the end of their sentences;
  • HM Prison and Young Offenders' Centre, HMP Hydebank Wood - a medium-to-low-security establishment accommodating male young offenders and all female prisoners (including female immigration detainees).

There is also a staff training facility, the Prison Service College, at Hydebank Wood.[3]

Prison Officers[]

Prison Officers operate the prisons and young offenders' centres. They wear a light blue uniform (similar but of a slightly lighter colour to HM Prison Service), consisting of a white shirt, blue tie, blue tunic and trousers (for males) and skirt (for females), black shoes or boots, black gloves and a blue peaked cap, with one style for males and another for females. Medals and a whistle on a chain are worn on the tunics.[4] For everyday use, the tunic may be replaced with a sweater or jacket and skirts with trousers.[5]

Prison Officers may carry weapons and use reasonable force (as sworn constables) to protect people. They carry expandable batons.[6]

Roles[]

Operational Uniformed Prison Grades in descending order of rank are as follows:[7]

  • Governor in Charge
  • Deputy Governor in Charge
  • Functional Head
  • Unit Manager
  • Senior Officer
  • Officers, including:
    • Main Grade Officer
    • Operational Support Grade
    • Night Custody Officer
    • Custody Prison Officer

The Prison Service also employs Prisoner Escorting and Custody Grades, which again are as follows in descending rank order:[7]

  • Principal Prisoner Custody Officer
  • Senior Prisoner Custody Officer
  • Prisoner Custody Officer
  • Youth Supervision Officer

Officers killed in the line of duty [8][9][]

  1. Prison Officer R. Walker of Belfast Prison was shot twice on his way to work on the 6th of February 1942. The (original) IRA was blamed for his murder.
  2. Retired Senior Prison Officer W. McCully was shot in his home and killed on the 23rd of September 1974 by the (provisional) IRA, 3 years after his retirement from the Prison Service.
  3. Prison Officer P. C. Dillon of Magilligan Prison was shot by his car outside his home on the 8th of April 1976 by the IRA in protest against the removal of special status for paramilitary prisoners.
  4. Clerk (Grade 3) J. D. Cummings of Belfast Prison was shot dead in his home by the IRA on the 19th of April 1976.
  5. Prison Officer R. J. Hamilton of Magilligan Prison was attacked and shot by the IRA as he got out his car at home on the 8th of October 1976.
  6. Principal Officer J. W. Milliken of Belfast Prison was shot on his way home from work by the IRA on the 22nd of June 1977.
  7. Prison Officer T. G. Fenton of Magilligan Prison was shot dead drinking in Molloys Bar on the 22nd of July 1977.
  8. Principal Officer D. E. Irvine of Maze Prison was shot dead by the IRA after leaving a meeting of the Prison Officers' Association on the 7th of October 1977.
  9. Governor (Grade 2) A. Miles of Maze Prison was murdered on the 26th of November 1978 when two IRA gunmen invaded his home, restrained his wife, and shot him. The two men were later convicted and received life terms.
  10. Prison Officer J. M. McTier of Belfast Prison was murdered on the 14th of December 1978 when IRA gunmen opened fire on a car containing him and two colleagues returning from work. His passengers survived but he died 3 days later.
  11. Retired Principal Officer P. Mackin was murdered in his home (alongside his wife Violet Mackin) by IRA gunmen on the 3rd of February 1979.
  12. Prison Officer M. C. Cassidy of Belfast Prison was shot dead outside St Macartan's Church after attending his sister's wedding by IRA gunmen on the 16th of April 1979.
  13. Prison Officer A. J. Wallace of Armagh Prison was murdered in a combined shooting and hand grenade attack on a car containing her and three other female colleagues on the 19th of April 1979. She was the first female officer to be killed since the start of the Troubles. Her three colleagues survived the attack with injuries.
  14. Prison Officer G. Foster of Belfast Prison was murdered on the 14th of September 1979 when IRA gunmen opened fire on a car containing him and three colleagues returning to work after lunch. He was killed and one of his passengers injured.
  15. Assistant Governor E. D. Jones BEM ISO of Belfast Prison was murdered by the IRA on the 19th of September 1979 when gunmen opened fire on his car. He had earnt the British Empire Medal in his service with the Irish Guards and the Imperial Service Order for his work within the Prison Service.
  16. Prison Officer T. Gilhooley of Belfast Prison was murdered by IRA gunmen whilst driving home from work on the 5th of November 1979.
  17. Clerk (Grade 3) of Belfast Prison was murdered on the 7th of November 1979 by the INLA whilst waiting for the bus to work.
  18. Prison Officer G. F. Melville of Maze Prison was murdered on the 23rd of November 1979 in his home by IRA gunmen.
  19. Chief Officer (Grade 2) W. Wright BEM of Belfast Prison was murdered on the 3rd of December 1979 opening his garage door after returning from work. This followed an attempt on his life 2 years prior which he had escaped.
  20. Senior Officer W. Willson of Belfast Prison was murdered on the 17th of December 1979 by IRA gunmen whilst walking to a local club for his lunch break.
  21. Prison Officer G. Cox of Magilligan Prison was murdered on the 18th of January 1980 by IRA gunmen whilst driving home from work.
  22. Prison Officer W. C. Burns of Belfast Prison was murdered by UVF gunmen on the 30th of December 1980 getting into his car for work.
  23. Prison Officer E. M. Chambers of Armagh Prison was killed on the 7th October 1982. She was caught up in an INLA attack on a soldier of the UDR, causing her car to collide with the soldier's car. The soldier also died in the attack.
  24. Prison Officer J. A. Ferris of Maze Prison was killed on the 25th of September 1983. Whilst trying to halt a mass escape attempt, he was stabbed by a prisoner and subsequently suffered a heart attack, leading to his death.
  25. Governor (Grade 3) W. McConnel BA of Maze Prison was murdered on the 6th of March 1984 by IRA gunmen whilst checking underneath his car for bombs. One man was convicted of his murder and sentenced to a life term.
  26. Principal Officer P. T. Kerr BEM of Maze Prison was murdered by IRA gunmen leaving St Patrick's Cathedral, Armagh on the 6th of March 1984. This followed his home being attacked by gunmen a few years earlier.
  27. Chief Instructor L. Jarvis of Magilligan Prison was murdered on the 23rd of March 1987 when he was shot dead in his car, sitting outside Magee College where he was attending classes. Shortly after, a bomb in his car detonated, killing two police officers.
  28. Prison Officer B. S. Armour of Maze Prison was murdered on the 4th of September 1988 when an IRA bomb exploded under his car.
  29. Hospital Officer J. Griffiths of Maze Prison was murdered on the 4th of May 1989 when an IRA bomb exploded under his car.
  30. Prison Officer J. A. Peacock of Belfast Prison was murdered on the 1st of September 1993, when he was killed in his home by UVF members as part of series of five attacks on prison officers following disturbances at the loyalist wing at HMP Maze.
  31. Prison Officer D. Black of Maghaberry Prison was murdered on the 1st of November 2012 by gunmen whilst driving to work.
  32. Prison Officer A. Ismay of Hydebank Wood College and Women's Prison had his van car-bombed outside his home on the 4th of March 2016, and died in hospital 11 days later on the 15th of March 2016. He was a tutor at the Prison Service college.

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ "Prison Service Headquarters." Northern Ireland Prison Service. Retrieved on 30 May 2010.
  2. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 17 July 2011. Retrieved 2011-03-11.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  3. ^ "Justice Minister David Ford with new Northern Ireland Prison Service recruits". 21 December 2015.
  4. ^ "The funeral of Prison Officer David Black, who was murdered while driving to work last Thursday morning". Cookstown, Northern Ireland: Alamy. 6 November 2012. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
  5. ^ https://www.justice-ni.gov.uk/sites/default/files/styles/inline-expandable/public/images/doj/news/Ford-nips-sue.jpg?itok=Em3NsMy1&timestamp=1450700621
  6. ^ https://c8.alamy.com/comp/G69RMJ/prison-service-recruits-graduate-G69RMJ.jpg
  7. ^ a b "DOF 2020 0033 FOI NICSHR Final response.DOCX.docx". www.whatdotheyknow.com. 19 January 2020. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
  8. ^ "Memorials". pst-ni.co.uk. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
  9. ^ "Roll of Honour | Department of Justice". Justice. 15 September 2015. Retrieved 18 January 2021.

External links[]

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