Northern Ireland Prisoner Ombudsman Explained

The office of the Prisoner Ombudsman for Northern Ireland, was first established in Northern Ireland in 2005.^[1]

The office's governing statutes are the Justice (Northern Ireland) Act 2004,^[2] the Northern Ireland Act 1998 (Devolution of Policing and Justice Functions) Order 2010^[3] and the Justice Act (Northern Ireland) 2016^[4]

The ombudsman's function are to:

• investigate complaints submitted to it by individual prisoners whose complaints were not resolved by the Prison Service Internal Complaints Process^[5]
• complete death in custody investigations, as well as answering family concerns; identifying any learning points for the prison service.^[6]
• investigate complaints submitted to it by individual prisoners whose complaints or concerns were not resolved by the Visit Manager^[7]

Notes and References

1. Seneviratne . Mary . 2013-01-17 . Ombudsmen and prisoner complaints in the UK . Journal of Social Welfare and Family Law . 34 . 3 . 339–356 . 10.1080/09649069.2012.750483 . 2024-07-03.
2. act . 2004 . 4 . Justice (Northern Ireland) Act 2004 . 6 . 2004-05-13 . 2024-07-03.
3. si . 2010 . 976 . The Northern Ireland Act 1998 (Devolution of Policing and Justice Functions) Order 2010 . 6 . 2010-03-31 . 6 . 2024-07-03.
4. act . 2016 . 21 . Justice Act (Northern Ireland) 2016.
5. Web site: Terms of Reference for the Investigation of Complaints . Prisoner Ombudsman for Northern Ireland . Prisoner Ombudsman for Northern Ireland . 2024-07-03. 2022-08-01.
6. Web site: TERMS OF REFERENCE FOR INVESTIGATION OF DEATHS IN PRISON CUSTODY . Prisoner Ombudsman for Northern Ireland . Prisoner Ombudsman for Northern Ireland . 2024-07-03.
7. Web site: TERMS OF REFERENCE FOR INVESTIGATION OF COMPLAINTS. Prisoner Ombudsman for Northern Ireland . Prisoner Ombudsman for Northern Ireland . 2024-07-03. 2011-04-30.