Magilligan Prison: Illicit drug use is key concern

A report finds increased drug issue among prisoners at Magilligan Prison near Limavady

The use of illegal drugs and medication at Magilligan Prison is a key area of concern, inspectors have said.

Random drug testing had an average higher rate of positives than at most similar prisons, their report found.

The report was compiled by the Criminal Justice Inspection Northern Ireland (CJI) and Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Prisons in England Wales (HMIP).

Northern Ireland's chief inspector of criminal justice said drug use was a problem in every NI prison.

Half of all prisoners surveyed in the report said they had a drug problem before arriving at Magilligan.

Almost one third of those surveyed said they developed a problem with drugs or medication not prescribed to them while there.

The report found both those figures had increased substantially since the last inspection of the County Londonderry facility in 2017.

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The report said a drug and alcohol strategy was not yet effective in addressing the illicit drugs supply in the prison.

Inspectors recommended in their report that the action plan "should be up to date, widely communicated and closely tracked" to reduce the supply and demand for drugs and alcohol at Magilligan.

'Commitment to accept recommendations'

Speaking to BBC Radio Foyle on Monday, CJI chief inspector Jacqui Durkan said she was very confident the prison would act on these recommendations.

"There has certainly been a commitment to accept the recommendations in this inspection," Ms Durkan said.

"There were 30 recommendations made [in the report] with two key concerns around the availability of illegal or diverted prescription medication and also around hygiene and cleanliness in some of the units.

"Those were two key recommendations, along with 28 others, that were made and I will be keeping in touch with the governor and his team to see that they are progressed."

Ms Durkan said the Regulation Quality Improvement Authority (RQIA) is already "working closely" with the South Eastern Health Trust to look at how prescription medication is managed in Magilligan.

She said that despite the challenges, she is confident that the necessary changes can be made.

Ms Durkan commended the work of staff at the prison, praising them also for their work particularly during the Covid-19 pandemic.