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Northern Ireland Prison Service

The Northern Ireland Prison Service is the agency charged with managing prisons in Northern Ireland.

Executive Agency overview

1 December 1921[1]

Northern Ireland, United Kingdom

Dundonald House, Upper Newtownards Road, Belfast, BT4 3SU

1,554[2]

  • Beverley Wall, Director General
  • David Kennedy, Director of Prisons

It is an executive agency of the Department of Justice, the headquarters of which are in Dundonald House in the Stormont Estate in Belfast.[3]


The service's stated aim is "to improve public safety by reducing the risk of re-offending through the management and rehabilitation of offenders in custody".[4]


It is distinct from His Majesty's Prison Service, which manages most prisons in England & Wales, and the Scottish Prison Service, which manages most prisons in Scotland.

Background[edit]

The Prison Service is responsible for providing prison services in Northern Ireland. Its main statutory duties are set out in the Prison Act (Northern Ireland) 1953 (c. 18 (N.I.)) and rules made under the act.


Prior to partition, prisons in Ireland were administered by the Prison Board of Ireland. After the Government of Ireland Act 1920, control of prisons in Northern Ireland was formally handed over from the Prison Board of Ireland on 1 December 1921 to the newly-created Northern Ireland Prison Service.[1] The service was administered by the Ministry of Home Affairs, before being established as a government agency of the Northern Ireland Office on 1 April 1995, and later the Department of Justice following the devolution of justice powers on 12 April 2010.


The Prison Service is a major component of the wider criminal justice system and contributes to achieving the system's overall aims and objectives. As the responsible minister, Minister of Justice accounts to Northern Ireland Assembly for the Prison Service and shares Ministerial responsibility and accountability for the criminal justice system as a whole with the Attorney General. The office of Minister of Justice has been vacant since the collapse of the Northern Ireland Executive on 3 February 2022.


As of March 2023, the Northern Ireland Prison Service employed 1,554 staff.[2]

Terror threat[edit]

Much like officers of the Police Service of Northern Ireland, prison officers in Northern Ireland remain under a severe level of threat from dissident Republican terrorist groups, and - to a lesser extent - Loyalist paramilitary terrorist groups.[6]


Over thirty prison officers have been murdered in the line of duty in Northern Ireland, the vast majority by paramilitary terrorist groups. The most recent murders were that of David Black, shot dead on his way to work in 2012, and Adrian Ismay, who died in hospital eleven days after an IED detonated under his vehicle in 2016.[7][8]


Due to the ongoing threat, officers must inspect their vehicles each morning for IEDs, limit activities which may personally identify them, and be discreet about the display of uniform and other items which could identify them as prison officers.[6] Officers may also avail of a personal protection weapon (PPW), although unlike their Police counterparts this is not mandatory.

Prison Officers[edit]

Uniform[edit]

Prison officers in Northern Ireland wear a dark blue uniform (in contrast to the black uniform worn in England & Wales). The formal uniform consists of a white shirt, dark blue tie, dark blue tunic and trousers (for males) or skirt (for females), black shoes or boots, black gloves and a dark blue peaked cap for males and Kepi-style cap for females. Medals and a whistle on a chain are worn on the tunics.[9] For everyday use, the tunic is replaced with a fleece or NATO-style pullover.[10] Tunics are no longer issued to new recruits and skirts are no longer issued to new female recruits, but both may still be used for some ceremonial duties.


Prison officers in Hydebank do not wear a prison service uniform, but adopt instead a professional smart-casual dress code.


In contrast to the Police Service of Northern Ireland, the Northern Ireland Prison Service maintains the Royal cypher on its cap badge, and the acronym "HMP" on its epaulettes.

Powers and structure[edit]

Prison officers (historically known as "warders"), under the Prison Act (Northern Ireland) 1953, have "all the powers, authority, protection and privileges of a constable" whilst acting as such.[11]


Prison Officers may carry weapons and use reasonable force (as sworn constables) to protect people. They carry expandable batons.[12]


Most prison officers work in teams or shifts, with a single unit (normally referred to as a House) overseen by a Senior Officer, and usually with three or four staff to a wing. Larger units such as Davis House may have three or four Senior Officers in command, and dozens of officers on the wings.


The overall manager of a unit or house is the Unit Manager, a junior Governor grade, who has overall responsibility for their house and line management of the house Senior Officer.

Equipment[edit]

Prison officers working on landings will carry:

Northern Ireland Department Of Justice

Attorney General for Northern Ireland

Advocate General for Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland Executive

Northern Ireland Assembly

Police Service Northern Ireland

Official website

Prison Act NI

On-line memorial to Prison Officers