Calls for dedicated women's prison in North

Female inmates in the North are losing out hand-over-fist because of the prison service’s “sticking plaster” approach to modernising jails, a committee of MPs has heard.

The Northern Ireland Affairs Committee in Westminster heard calls from Chief Criminal Justice Inspector Kit Chivers for a dedicated prison for women.

Expert witnesses also advocated separated units at Maghaberry prison to hold high-risk prisoners away from less dangerous criminals.

“I am slightly apprehensive to find that they are planning to do more of a sticking plaster nature to improve the facilities there rather than facing up to the need for a hard decision in the long run,” Mr Chivers told the committee during a meeting in London last week.

“What is really needed, I think any outside observer would say, is a clear separation of the women so that they have their own activities in which they can engage freely. But the prison service, because of the constraints, is trying to make the best of the current situation.”

The group of MPs heard how staff at Hydebank Wood, Co Down, where female inmates are housed alongside young offenders, had been defensive about the lack of separate provision for activities like painting.

Labour MP Rosie Cooper said: “I just felt that what we were saying here was that there was a complete two-tier (system) and the women were losing out hand-over-fist, and everyone was spending all their time justifying it, and I was appalled.

“I suppose that is really what I am saying, that this is not right, it is not fair. The women we saw were people who needed so much help.

“I hesitate to use the words ’not punishment’ because it is all part of the same thing, but they were so desperate for help and I did not think the environment helped at all.”

Female captives were moved from Maghaberry’s Mourne House to Hydebank Wood in June 2004 and have a separate governor.

Mr Chivers conceded significant progress had been made in modernising the system.

In February a jury at the inquest of Roseanne Irvine found her suicide could have been prevented.

The coroner’s court heard the prison system failed the 34-year-old, who was found hanging in her cell in 2004, even though she was on suicide watch.

She suffered from a personality disorder and the director general of the prison, Robin Masefield, has admitted she should have been treated elsewhere.

A Prison Service spokesman said: “We have recognised the need not only for a second adult prison, we have also recognised the need for discrete facilities for female prisoners but we can only work within the resources we have.”