A NEW £12.2m unit for life-sentence inmates was officially opened at Maghaberry Prison on Monday.
Prisons' Minister Paul Goggins officially opens the new cells
The 120 bed facility at Braid House is part of a scheme announced three years ago to create 400 extra prison places.
Prisons' Minister Paul Goggins said the new facilities reflect the Government's determination to reduce risk and reoffending.
"In December 2007 I announced new investment of £70m to create 400 extra prison places over the following three years.
"The opening of Braid House located on the Mourne House site at the prison means that almost 300 of these places are now built and in use" he said.
"The staff will be able to use this new location to drive forward an effective programme which will assist prisoners in addressing their offending behaviour."
He said the opening of Braid House, which already has 74 prisoners, was a 'clear indication' that Ministers were backing the programme of 'reform' and 'improvement.'
Acting Governor Alan Craig said more prisoners would be moved into the unit in the coming weeks.
At the opnine of the new unit at Maghberry Prison
"This new accommodation provides a good location for effective engagement between prisoners and staff" he said. "While prisoners can benefit from a range of programmes which are delivered by the Prison Service and their partner agencies, the prison officer is the first line of engagement and, arguably, can have the greatest influence on the prisoner."
Prisoners are expected to be moved into Braid House on a phased basis
The internal floor space at Braid House is 3860m2. Approximately 125,000 facing bricks, 900m³ (cubic metres) of in-situ concrete and 1800m³ of precast concrete were used during the construction which took place over 22 months.
