Prison Conditions

Rules

Diet

A healthy, well-balanced diet is supplied to all persons in custody in accordance with prison regulations. A change of diet can be obtained following approval of the Medical Officer.

Hygiene, Clothing and Bedding

Prisoners are not required to wear a uniform but are supplied with a range of clothing in fashion in the community. Clothing may be changed twice weekly. In certain circumstances, a prisoner may wear his own clothing. If permission for this is given, the prisoner is required to have sufficient clothing to allow for a change. Changes of underclothing are supplied to all prisoners. All prisoners are entitled to wash daily and shower at least once per week. Cell bedding is usually comprised of bed mattress, duvet, one pillow, pillow slip and sheets.

Recreation

You are free to take part in recreation at weekends, in the evenings and when not attending work or educational classes. Facilities include television, table games and library facilities.

There is increasing use being made of gym activities and outdoor games. Specially trained prison officers provide gym instruction and supervision.

Visits

The Prison Rules provides the legislation for visiting arrangements. Under these rules, a sentenced prisoner is entitled to one visit per week of 30 minutes duration and a remand prisoner is entitled to a visit on any week day of 15 minutes duration, however, in practice additional or longer visits may be granted where circumstances permit, at the Governor's discretion.

The practice in all institutions is not to allow more than 3/4 visitors per offender at a time. The majority of visits are supervised in sight, but not in hearing, of prison staff to ensure good order and security and to prevent the passing of contraband. The frequency and length of visits can vary according to the type of institution. In the open centres which accommodate sentenced prisoners only, visits generally take place on a Saturday and Sunday only, between certain hours. A visitor may stay for any length of time during the allocated visiting hours. There are also local procedures (concerning searches, persons allowed visit, opening hours, etc) individual to each institution and it is recommended that persons unfamiliar with these procedures make contact with the prison in advance of their intended visit.

Letters

Prisoners serving sentences are generally allowed send two letters per week. Extra letters to family or to representatives may be allowed on request. A prisoner awaiting trial may send out as many letters as he or she likes. There is no limit to the number of letters that may be received. In the closed prisons, all incoming and outgoing mail is censored, with the exception of legal correspondence, which is opened to confirm its status and then placed back into the envelope. In the open institutions, outgoing mail is not censored, generally prisoners will open their mail in the presence of an officer and if money is enclosed, it is given to the officer who will credit it to their tuck-shop account.

Probation Service

Probation Officers are attached to each institution and place of detention. The Probation Service deals with a wide range of personal and family problems for prisoners and provides counselling for alcohol, drugs, and other social problems. The service also plays key roles alongside other disciplines in the sex offender and drug treatment programmes.

Probation Officers also have contacts with the families of offenders and arrange for home visits when appropriate.

Rehabilitative measures

The Prison Service encourage prisoners to engage with the therapeutic services during their period of imprisonment in order to reduce the risk of them reoffending on release and to help offenders live constructive and meaningful lives on the outside. There are a wide range of services available including education, probation, drug treatment, psychology and work and training.

The Chaplaincy Service

A chaplaincy service is available in each prison and place of detention. Full-time Roman Catholic chaplains are attached to most prisons and places of detention. Chaplains of other denominations come to the prisons on a part-time or visiting basis. Local Muslim religious leaders attend to the needs of Muslim prisoners.

The primary function of the chaplaincy service is to make religious services available to you and to offer support and assistance in your human and spiritual development.

Remission

The vast majority of persons serving sentences are entitled to remission at a rate of one quarter, providing that they are of good behaviour for the duration of their sentence. In practice, this means that a person sentenced to 4 years imprisonment will be expected to serve 3 years in custody. Persons who cannot benefit from remission include people serving life sentences and people serving a sentence of less than one month.

Punishments

Persons who breach prison discipline can be put on report and lose privileges for a period of time. Privileges include visits, phone calls, evening recreation and/or remission.

Visiting Committees

A visiting committee is an independent statutory "watchdog" on behalf of the public to supervise the treatment of prisoners.

While you are in prison, you have free access to the visiting committees and may make complaints about how you are being treated to them. Each year, each committee makes a report to the Minister.