prison search pilot

The first, involving Millimetre Wave Body Scanners, will be operational in both Magilligan Prison and Hydebank Wood Young Offenders’ Centre during the summer.

The other pilot, involving Transmission X-Ray technology, can only be commenced when the necessary authorisations have been obtained under the current regulations. There is currently no timeline for its introduction but it will also be piloted at Magilligan.

David Ford today wrote to the Justice Committee to inform them of the progress made against the recommendation by Dame Anne Owers on whether there is an effective and less intrusive method other than full-body searching for prisoners leaving and entering prison.

David Ford said: “Since the publication of the Prison Review Team’s Report, the Prison Service conducted a review of the technology around full body imaging scanners for their potential use in prisons

“On the basis of that review, I gave a commitment that the use of full body imaging scanners would be piloted and I have today set out for the Justice Committee how this will be taken forward and the main steps involved.”

Subject to securing, installing and training staff on the use of the Millimetre Wave Body Scanners, the pilot will be rolled out in Magilligan and Hydebank Wood over the summer. It is anticipated that it will last between three and six months.

There is no date for the start of the Transmission X-ray pilot. An application for the use of this technology in a prison setting is currently being sought by Holme House Prison in England.

If this application is successful it will also permit the piloting of the technology in Northern Ireland. However, the Minister has today instructed Prison Service officials to commence work on a separate application so that progress can be made as quickly as possible.

The results of an evaluation of the pilots will be presented to the Minister.

David Ford said: “This marks substantial progress against one of the recommendations in the Owers Report.

“However progress cannot be made at the expense of prison security and the pilots will test if the technology offers the same, or even enhances, the safeguards provided through full-body searching.

“I have consistently said that full-body searching is demeaning to both prisoners and staff and believe that it is worth considering what value the latest technology can bring to searching regimes within prisons.

“The technology that will be piloted has the potential to be used for all prisoners, not for any one specific prisoner group.”