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Magilligan (HM Prison)
Encyclopedia
Magilligan Prison is a prison run by the Northern Ireland Prison Service
situated near Limavady
, County Londonderry
. It was first opened in May 1972 and comprised eight Nissen hut
s on the site of an army camp. The prison was divided into compounds to house the various paramilitary
factions and was manned by British Army
dog handlers and prison staff on detached duty from Scotland
, England
and Wales
as well as some staff from Northern Ireland
.
The temporary accommodation was later replaced by three H-blocks similar to those at the Maze prison each containing 100 cells.
In 1976 the prison wall was built and the prison began to house other prisoners who had been convicted of non-terrorist offences as well some young prisoners including Borstal
trainees.
In 1977 the trainees were transferred to Woburn House in Millisle
and prisoners convicted of scheduled terrorist offences transferred to the Maze. This left Magilligan operating as a 'normal' prison in the context of Northern Ireland prisons. The regime was consequently developed to reflect this.
The prison currently has a capacity of 344 prisoners in single cell accommodation and is a medium to low security prison which holds male prisoners with six years or less to serve and who meet the relevant security classification.
Northern Ireland Prison Service
The Northern Ireland Prison Service is an executive agency of the Department of Justice, the headquarters of which are in Dundonald House in the Stormont Estate in Belfast....
situated near Limavady
Limavady
Limavady is a market town in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland, with Binevenagh as a backdrop. It lies east of Derry and south west of Coleraine. It had a population of 12,135 people in the 2001 Census, an increase of some 17% compared to 1991...
, County Londonderry
County Londonderry
The place name Derry is an anglicisation of the old Irish Daire meaning oak-grove or oak-wood. As with the city, its name is subject to the Derry/Londonderry name dispute, with the form Derry preferred by nationalists and Londonderry preferred by unionists...
. It was first opened in May 1972 and comprised eight Nissen hut
Nissen hut
A Nissen hut is a prefabricated steel structure made from a half-cylindrical skin of corrugated steel, a variant of which was used extensively during World War II.-Description:...
s on the site of an army camp. The prison was divided into compounds to house the various paramilitary
Paramilitary
A paramilitary is a force whose function and organization are similar to those of a professional military, but which is not considered part of a state's formal armed forces....
factions and was manned by British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
dog handlers and prison staff on detached duty from Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
as well as some staff from Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
.
The temporary accommodation was later replaced by three H-blocks similar to those at the Maze prison each containing 100 cells.
In 1976 the prison wall was built and the prison began to house other prisoners who had been convicted of non-terrorist offences as well some young prisoners including Borstal
Borstal
A borstal was a type of youth prison in the United Kingdom, run by the Prison Service and intended to reform seriously delinquent young people. The word is sometimes used loosely to apply to other kinds of youth institution or reformatory, such as Approved Schools and Detention Centres. The court...
trainees.
In 1977 the trainees were transferred to Woburn House in Millisle
Millisle
Millisle or Mill Isle is a village on the Ards Peninsula in County Down, Northern Ireland. It is mostly within the townland of Ballymacruise, about south of Donaghadee. It had a population of 1,800 in the 2001 Census...
and prisoners convicted of scheduled terrorist offences transferred to the Maze. This left Magilligan operating as a 'normal' prison in the context of Northern Ireland prisons. The regime was consequently developed to reflect this.
The prison currently has a capacity of 344 prisoners in single cell accommodation and is a medium to low security prison which holds male prisoners with six years or less to serve and who meet the relevant security classification.