LIFE SENTENCE PRISONERS AMONG 72 RELEASED FROM NI JAILS FOR XMAS

Eleven lifers released from Maghaberry for Christmas

Eleven lifers released from Maghaberry for Christmas

JAILBIRDS will be tucking into turkey and stuffing this Christmas after they were granted special release leave for the festive season.

Seventy-two prisoners, including 11 on life sentence, have been given temporary Christmas leave to spend time with their familes

They are between 21 December and 2 January 2013, after successfully applying to get out over the festive season.

Thirty-six prisoners are being released from Magilligan, while 23 have been allowed out of Maghaberry, 11 of which are life sentence prisoners.

Eight young offenders have been granted leave from Hydebank, while five women are also being released.

A NI Prison Service spokesperson said: “All prisoners granted home leave at Christmas have been subject to a satisfactory risk assessment and have either successfully completed a home leave programme or undergone periods of unaccompanied testing in the community.”

A further 112 prisoners were refused leave, and this year’s numbers are down on Christmas 2011, when 87 prisoners were given Christmas Home Leave.

Life prisoners must be within three years of their sentence, or have passed it, and successfully undergone programmed release before they are eligible.

Those who have been jailed for life without a tariff must have been in custody for at least 10 years, while remand prisoners do not qualify for the leave.

There are currently almost 1,700 prisoners in Northern Ireland jails.

 

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