Hydebank Wood is
the only site within the Northern Ireland Prison
Service (NIPS) to house young people and minors. Young men ages 17
to 21 are placed into custody here, but males as old as 24 may be housed there
as well. All female prisoners within the system, including juveniles, are also
housed at Hydebank though they are kept separate from the male population.
The mental and psychological impact of women being housed
at a male young offenders’ centre has been question by several sources.
According to a Queen’s University study on children’s rights and the justice
system (read it here), mixed genders in one facility was
‘inappropriate’ and that it was an ‘inadequate environment for girls’ to be
housed in the same location as young men and adult women.
The same study also highlighted abuse of practices at
Hydebank Wood, including excessive use of restraint as punishment and misuse of
rewards to encourage certain behaviour. In particular, the practice of
‘Physical Control in Care’ was given as an example of an overuse of force.
While there are guidelines as to when the use of restraint is appropriate, but
it was discovered that these were often not followed.
A report filed in
2007 after inspections of Hydebank Wood found that juveniles were ‘routinely
strip-searched upon arrival,’ and that healthcare provisions were inadequate,
particularly where drug/alcohol withdrawal was concerned. They also stated that
discipline was ‘overly putative’ and questioned the ‘excessive use of
confinement’ as punishment for violations of prison rules.
Even as recently as 2009/2010, a review of Hydebank
Wood by the Independent Monitoring Board (IMB) expressed concern about the how
often prisoners were kept alone in confinement as punishment. The review noted
that previous annual reports had contained the same observation, and yet the
practice seems to have continued.
The IMB also placed emphasis on the role of staff in the
conditions at the Hydebank Wood facility. There were remarks made regarding the
inconsistency of personal conduct among staff towards prisoners. Some were
engaged and caring while others were distant, cynical, and even hostile. Also
discussed was the negative impact on the ‘provision of normal regime’ by frequent
staff sick leave, and the general need for a change of ‘ethos and culture’.
During the review year of 2009-2010, the IMB found that approximately
25-30 prison officers were absent due to illness every day. Among other issues (such
as the Prison Officers’ Association’s ‘withdrawal of goodwill’), this led to a
general conclusion that ‘staff needs rather than regime considerations [...]
frequently take priority’.
This disruption to the regime at Hydebank Wood has meant
that good educational programmes, community work, and even a consistent daily routine
have been hard to establish. Facilities like the exercise centre are
underutilised and there are consistently long periods of lock-up with no
association. Good practices, then, are often hindered by staff’s ability to
maintain them.
While the current Justice Department’s interim report on the Northern Ireland Prison Service made few remarks about the conditions of young people, it did say that ‘conditions are poor’ at Hydebank Wood and they ‘[did] not believe that [it] is, or can ever be, an appropriate environment for children.’
What do you think? Should juveniles ever be placed into custody in a prison setting like Hydebank Wood? If not, what do you think alternatives could be – the Juvenile Justice Centre?
