| Subject: Prison Service Reply |
Author:
CR Vets
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Date Posted: 09:00:21 08/13/02 Tue
>From : "Northern Ireland Prison Service"
>
>
>To : "Civil Rights"
>Subject : Re: HMP Maghaberry
>Date : Wed, 1 May 2002 10:44:25 +0100
>Thank you for your email of 16 April.
>
>You raise a number of issues which I will address in
>turn.
>
>We naturally regret that Mr. McLaughlin was assaulted,
>and we ensured that he was given appropriate medical
>treatment afterwards. But when we came to formally
>investigate the incident, Mr. McLaughlin himself
>refused to make a statement or to identify his assailant. This meant that we could take the matter no further and that our continuing efforts to tackle such incidents of violent and disruptive behaviour were seriously constrained.
>
>This was the second assault that was thought to be
>sectarian in six months. The last assault, prisoner on
>prisoner, which was thought to be sectarian, was in
>Aug 2001. It should be pointed out that in the same
>period (Aug 01 to 7Apr 02) there were 21 prisoner on
>prisoner assaults. Assaults, regrettably, are part of
>prison life.
>
>Maghaberry Prison received a letter threatening a
>number of prisoners on Monday 8 April 2002. The
>prisoners named were informed by Prison staff and the
>Police Service of Northern Ireland were called and are
>currently investigating the incident.
>
>We do not know the letters' provenance or authenticity
>- that is a matter for the police investigation.
>
>We take very seriously our responsibilities for
>protecting staff and prisoners. And we have measures
>in place to help prevent incidents and minimise the
>risks associated with managing and controlling
>prisoners. But prisons can be dangerous places and
>short of introducing an unacceptably harsh regime, we cannot guarantee absolutely that incidents will never happen.
>
>We firmly believe that integration provides for the
>safest prison regimes for both prisoners and staff and
>meets the Service's obligations under the Human Rights
>Act and Prison Rules. Integration gives the Service
>the ability to treat prisoners as individuals rather
>than as part of a group and means that prisoners can be rewarded for good behaviour thus giving each prisoner responsibility for his/her own actions. In our experience, by far the most serious incidents in prisons have occurred in segregated conditions.
>
>With regard to compassionate leave, you will wish to
>know that following a petition from Mr McLaughlin on
>24 April, we again considered the risks involved in
>releasing him. In response, and since we were
>satisfied that these risks could now be successfully
>managed, we granted Mr. McLaughlin a period of
>compassionate temporary release during which he
>visited his grandson in hospital.
>
>Finally I am sure you will wish to know that the
>International Committee of the Red Cross has visited
>all Prisons in Northern Ireland at some time and are
>of course always welcome to do so.
>
>Thank you once again for your interest.
>
>
>Press & Communications Unit
>Northern Ireland Prison Service
>
>website: www.niprisonservice.gov.uk
>e-mail: info@niprisonservice.gov.uk
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "Civil Rights"
>To:
>Cc:
>Sent: Monday, April 15, 2002 4:59 PM
>Subject: HMP Maghaberry
>
>
>>
>> APPEAL TO THE ICRC - International Comte. Of the
>Red Cross > AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL, N. IRELAND PRISON
>SERVICE & N.I.O.
>>
>> From the October 5th (1968 Civil Rights Veterans &
>Supporters) Associalion -
>> e-mail: oct5th_vets68@hotmail.com
>>
>> We are writing to express our growing concern for
>the treatment of Irish Political prisoners at
>Maghaberry prison, and what are clearly highly Unsafe
>conditions for this vunerable group of men. Our
>non-party > association, political prisoners, their
>relatives and friends would be grateful if the ICRC & Amnesty International were to send a fact-finding delegation to this prison, so that a neutral, impartial and independent > report can be published at the earliest possible opportunity.
>>
>>The following statement,addressed to British
>administrators, was released > by our association in
>recent days.
>>
>> We are aware that Republican political prisoners
>held at Maghaberry are Being housed greatly
>outnumbered alongside loyalist paramilitaries, who
>have > already viciously attacked a number of them.
>We are aware that death threats have also been issued at Maghaberry from inside the prison. We are > in direct contact with the family of one such political prisoner, Mr. Kieran McLaughlin, who was assaulted in his cell on Sunday
>April 7th as he lay sleeping. We recall a similar vicious and unprovoked attack in September of last year on John Martin Swift, who received 17 staples to his head, and 15 >
>stitches to his face, following a brutal attack in
>which he was almost killed by a gang of Loyalist paramilitary prisoners.
>There are several more vicious assults that we could
>catalogue. Can we be assured, that the powers-that-be
>do not wish to see such a dangerous situation go
>unchecked > inside a government facility which is ultimately under Westminster's jurisdiction. We believe that this "mixing" policy has blatantly failed, and it
>would be both more sane and humanitarian to abandon
>such immediately. Surely, the physical safety of your
>charges should be foremost on your minds?
>>
>> We are also writing to express our grave concern
>over the treatment of the above-mentioned Republican
>prisoner, Kieran McLaughlin; who has made Repeated
>applications for compassionate leave to visit his
>grandson, who doctors have confirmed is gravely ill.
>We know that his wife has offered to be incarcerated
>herself in his stead while he is visiting with their
>grandson, as security on his return. You must also be
>fully aware that Republican prisoners have always
>honoured the terms of compassionate parole.
>
>> With that fact in mind we are annoyed that Mr.
>McLaughlin may continue to be denied this brief
>opportunity to see his gravely ill grandson, most
>certainly for the last time. We implore you to do your
>utmost to ensure that > this family are not victimized unnecessarily.
>>
>>
>> The favour of a reply would be greatly appreciated.
>>
>> Hon. Secretary,
>> October 5th (1968 Civil Rights Veterans &
Supporters) Association,
>> Oct5th _vets68@hotmail.com
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