Fundamental improvements needed at Young Offenders’ Centre and Women’s Prison

Two new inspection reports looking at Hydebank Wood Young Offenders Centre and Ash House, Northern Ireland Women’s prison have challenged the leadership teams at both facilities to deliver better outcomes for prisoners within their care. 

CJI’s Chief Inspector Brendan McGuigan said he was ‘disappointed’ to find lessons had not been fully learned from recent deaths in custody at both the YOC and Ash House and that performance against Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons’ four internationally recognised ‘healthy prison’ tests of safety, respect, purposeful activity and resettlement, was concerning.

The two inspection reports contain 156 recommendations for improvement which outline the challenges to be addressed by the new management teams in place at both the YOC and Ash House to deal with current failings,

“The new leadership teams in place must work to deliver a fundamental improvement in outcomes for prisoners and a  radical rethink is also required to the approach to the imprisonment of women in Northern Ireland, in order to improve standards and opportunities,” said Mr McGuigan.

“These inspection reports demonstrate, once again, how imperative it is for focus to be maintained on the wider reform of the Northern Ireland Prison Service and the full implementation of the Prison Review Team recommendations to be achieved,” concluded the Chief Inspector.