Maze prison closure on target

Just 17 prisoners will be left in the Maze by July

by BBC Northern Ireland chief security correspondent Brian Rowan

The Northern Ireland Prison Service has confirmed plans to close the top-security Maze jail near Belfast.

In a report published on Thursday, the service outlined plans to close it before the end of the year.

For years, the Maze has been used to hold republican and loyalist inmates jailed during the Troubles.

But, as a result of the early-release programme negotiated as part of the Good Friday Agreement, just 17 prisoners will remain on the wings of the jail at the end of July.

Robin Halward: Maze could still be used in emergency

The director general of the Prison Service in Northern Ireland, Robin Halward, said they were still deciding where those inmates would be held.

This will need careful planning because at the Maze, the different paramilitary groups had their own segregated wings.

In a BBC interview, Robin Halward, said the Maze could still be used in the event of any emergency.

"Arrangements will be made for the small number of prisoners still in the Maze.

"After the prison closes, it will remain for a period in what we call 'warm-storage', so available for use in emergency, in the same way as the Crumlin Road prison remained in storage until about a year ago."

The planned Maze closure will mean that Northern Ireland will have three prisons - Magilligan, Maghaberry and the Young Offenders' Centre.

Crumlin Road prison to be sold

The report also revealed plans to sell the site of Crumlin Road jail in Belfast within the next financial year.

The prison was closed in 1996.

The property has been valued at under a million pounds and discussions are continuing with a number of interested parties.

Job losses

Jails in Northern Ireland once held around 2,500 inmates.

The figure currently stands at below 1,200.

Many jobs will be lost, as the Maze prison rapidly empties.

Forty percent of prison staff in Northern Ireland, around 1,100 officers, are to leave the service and many others will be moved to other jails.

There will be no compulsory redundancies as more than 1,100 officers have applied to leave on a voluntary basis.

The cost of holding prisoners in Northern Ireland is still above the United Kingdom average.

The corporate and business plans included a target of keeping the cost of holding an inmate here to between £76,000-£81,000 a year.

In the foreword to the plans, Robin Halward wrote: "Reducing costs will again be a major priority for the coming year and the service will pursue further efficiency measures".