The ‘Moderator’s Criminal Justice Day’ brought together the Head of the Northern Ireland Prison Service (NIPS), the Deputy Governor of Maghaberry Prison and the Probation Board for Northern Ireland’s (PBNI) Assistant Director and Director of Rehabilitation. The aim of the day was to strengthen relationships while providing an insight into the work of each other’s agencies in the context of PCI’s engagement at specific points in the criminal justice system.
Hosted by the Moderator, Rt Rev Dr Charles McMullen at Thompson House, the denomination’s approved hostel for offenders in north Belfast, those attending then spent the afternoon at HMP Maghaberry.
“For me personally it was an unforgettable day, as we were with many people in the system who society would probably rather forget. It was also eye-opening to see a side of the work and ministry of our Church that I hadn’t fully appreciated, and most of us never see,” Dr McMullen said.
“The commitment of the staff at Thompson house in supporting ex-prisoners, working in partnership with the prison and probation services was impressive. I was so struck by how the team there looked at the whole person offering, in a non-judgemental way, practical support alongside the hope that comes with the love of Christ. I also valued the opportunity meet with some of the residents.”
During the afternoon, the Moderator accompanied by his wife Barbara, travelled to Maghaberry in County Antrim and met with the prison governor, senior staff, prison officers and prisoners - along with members of the chaplaincy team led by PCI’s new lead chaplain, Rev Graham Stockdale.
“Speaking to Graham and seeing the work of the chaplaincy team, there was a great sense of purpose and pastoral care which has given me a deeper appreciation of prison chaplaincy and the good that it does. Having met the governor and prison officers I was also impressed by their commitment and the fact that chaplaincy is very much a part of the prison service and in some respects a ‘failsafe’. It was also a privilege to be permitted to pray for a number of the prisoners.
“Being inside the prison also reminded me that we are all prisoners until we experience the release and freedom that we find at the foot of the cross. It was a memorable day all round,” Dr McMullen said.
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The Church, through its Council for Social Witness, seeks to deliver an effective Social Witness service on behalf of the denomination. Council Secretary, Lindsay Conway, who accompanied the Moderator, said that the main aim of the informal gathering at Thompson house was to strengthen the already existing good relationships that exist between PCI, the prison and probation services.
Registered with the Criminal Justice Inspectorate, which undertakes regular inspections, Thompson House provides supported housing to 19 male offenders who are referred by the Probation Board as being in need of approved accommodation. At the hostel behaviour can be managed and monitored in the interests of public safety until permanent accommodation can be sourced.
“The Criminal Justice Day, the first of its kind, afforded us an opportunity to bring together colleagues in both services and talk about the common aspects of our work. We also discussed the volunteering programme, Fresh Start that is being introduced in Maghberry and Woodlands Juvenile Justice Centre near Bangor” Mr Conway said.
“As a Church we have a long association with the prison service and the probation service and there is a genuine mutual respect for the work that one another does in the criminal justice sector. It was therefore appropriate that we met at Thompson House, where many aspects of that work come together.”
Photos: (1) The Moderator Dr Charles McMullen with Ronnie Armour Director General of the Prison Service (left) and Governor Dave Kennedy (right) at Maghaberry Prison (picture: Michael Cooper) (2) The Moderator with David Farrow, Director of Thompson House and Ronnie Armour.
As Moderator in 2015, Dr Michael Barry hosted a breakfast for senior members of the probation service. You can read about that here.