Catholic prisoners ‘feel victimised’ at Magilligan: report

CATHOLIC inmates in Magilligan Prison fare worse than Protestants in Northern Ireland, inspectors said.

Some felt staff victimised them because of their religion and reported less interaction with warders, an inspection report added.

Criminal Justice Inspection Northern Ireland (CJI) said independent experts should investigate but praised other immensely encouraging work at the Co Londonderry jail.

Chief inspector of criminal justice Brendan McGuigan (below) said: “Poorer outcomes for Catholic prisoners remain in a number of key areas and it is our view that there needs to be a greater focus on the underlying reasons for these differences.

“It is our view the Northern Ireland Prison Service (NIPS) needs expert independent support to achieve this.”

A total of 16% of Catholics felt they had been victimised by staff because of their religion compared to 11% of Protestants.

Some 11% felt victimised because of their nationality compared to 5% of Protestants.

The report said Catholic prisoners reported much less interaction with staff than Protestants.

Inspectors noted poorer outcomes for Catholics in a range of “important” areas, often where staff discretion was involved.

The report said: “In our survey Catholic prisoners were more negative than Protestants about respectful treatment by staff.

“While likely to be complex, the prison needed to do far more to understand the underlying reasons for this which was likely to require external expert assistance.

“There was promotion of some aspects of diversity, but a lack of a more proactive approach to all the pro- tected groups covered by Northern Ireland law.”

The joint inspection was carried out by CJI and HM Inspectorate of Prisons in England and Wales. It found improvements in several key areas.

However, inspectors were concerned by some inspection findings and called for further improvements to address ongoing issues.

They remained worried that an integrated drugs and alcohol strategy still did not exist at Magilligan Prison.

Peter Clarke, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector

of Prisons in England and Wales, said: “Reducing the supply and use of illicit and illegal drugs is a major challenge, which requires a strategic approach. We recommend there should be a prison-wide drug and alcohol strategy with an associated action plan to address both supply reduction and support issues.”

NI Prison Service head Ronnie Armour said the report demonstrated the progress which has been made at Magilligan.

“Importantly, the report highlights that rehabilitation is truly at the heart of all we do at Magilligan Prison, with resettlement work identified as a significant strength,” he said.