Only 72 prisoners in North granted Christmas home leave

Almost 100 prisoners in jails in the North have had their applications for Christmas home leave rejected, it was revealed today.

Just 72 of over 1,400 inmates behind bars will be let out on temporary release, said the Prison Service.

It is one of the smallest numbers in years – last year it was 82 and in past years many more.

Prison governors refused release to 98 prisoners for a variety of reasons.

A Prison Service spokesman said: “All prisoners granted home leave at Christmas have been subject to a satisfactory risk assessment and have either successfully completed a home leave programme or undergone periods of unaccompanied testing in the community.”

Magilligan in Co Derry is letting out 55, Maghaberry in Co Antrim 12 and Hydebank Young Offenders Centre 5. No female prisoners are being released this year.

Home leave at Christmas is granted under two schemes, one for life sentence prisoners and the other for those serving a determinate sentence.

Life sentence prisoners must be within three years of having completed their tariff, or three years past it, and must be successfully undergoing periods of programmed release or successfully participating in a home leave programme.

Those with no fixed tariff must have completed at least 10 years of their sentence and be undergoing unaccompanied testing in the community and/or successfully participating in the home leave programme.

Determinate sentence prisoners must have successfully completed a previous period of home leave by the end of October this year to be eligible to get out for Christmas.

Prisoners on remand awaiting trial are not eligible for Christmas release.