Jail boards want women's prison

The boards called for a women's prison

Northern Ireland should have a purpose-built prison for women, a jail monitoring body has said.

Maghaberry, Hydebank and Magilligan jails each have an Independent Monitoring Board, which reports on conditions each year.

Women inmates are currently held in Hydebank, on the outskirts of Belfast, which is shared with young male offenders.

The Hydebank IMB report said this had been a source of friction in the past.

Chairman Jimmy McClean said there was an "urgent need for a separate prison that could focus on the specific needs of women".

"I should make it clear that the existing shared campus also disadvantages the male prisoner population at Hydebank Wood," he said.

The report for HMP Magilligan near Limavady, which is to be replaced with a new prison, recommends improved education and training opportunities and the reinstatement of a search team to combat an increasing drugs problem at the prison.

The report on Maghaberry in County Antrim made 22 recommendations, including concerns about the level of support available for prisoners suffering from mental illness.

The reports have been submitted to the secretary of state.

The Independent Monitoring Boards were formerly known as the Boards of Visitors and in Hydebank Wood the Visiting Committee.