Northern Ireland prisons criticised over segregation units which don t meet UN standards belfastlive.co.uk - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from belfastlive.co.uk Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Some prisoners in Northern Ireland are being subjected to effective solitary confinement which does not meet the expected United Nations Standard Minimum Rules, a new report has found.
Non-vulnerable prison staff and inmates at Northern Ireland s jails are yet to get the Covid-19 vaccine.
The chair of the NI Prison Officers Association has written to the Executive, calling for ministers to act as a matter of urgency.
Prisoners, who have been classed as vulnerable, are currently receiving the jab from the South Eastern Trust, which cares for inmates in prisons here.
However, Ivor Dunne, the chair of the NI Prison Officers Association, expressed his extreme disappointment that both staff and prisoners have not been given the vaccine as a priority - comparing prisons to care homes.
Mr Dunne wrote to First Minister Arlene Foster, Health Minister Robin Swann and Justice Minister Naomi Long earlier this month urging them to vaccinate both staff and inmates as soon as possible.
Two children have tested positive for Covid-19 in Northern Ireland’s only youth prison.
The prisoners, who are being held in Woodlands Juvenile Justice Centre in Bangor, Co Down, had also tested positive before being admitted to the facility.
Justice Minister Naomi Long said she was “aware of the two new cases in Woodlands” and explained that the children had been placed in the facility’s isolation unit upon their arrival.
“In line with protocols, the young people have been tested again and, as both received positive results, they will remain in the isolation unit where they will be cared for in line with Public Health guidance,” added the Alliance Party leader.