Appointment of members to Independent Monitoring Board

The Department of Justice has announced the appointment of two new Independent Monitoring Board (IMB) members.

The IMB is an independent statutory body whose role is to monitor the treatment of prisoners and the conditions of their imprisonment in Northern Ireland’s prisons. 

Richard Pengelly CB, Permanent Secretary, Department of Justice said: “The Independent Monitoring Board undertake an important role within our prisons.  The Board is made up of volunteers from the community and whilst the role is a challenging one, it is also a rewarding one.”

The following new members have been appointed following an open competition and took up office on 1 April 2023 –

•             Christine Allister

•             Michael Burns

The Department has also reappointed four current members for a further one year term from 1 April 2023.  The reappointed members are -

•             Ann Adams

•             Anne Rowe

•             Lynn Nevin

•             Patsy McGonagle

Mr Pengelly concluded: “I welcome the new members and wish them well in their role, and also extend my thanks to the existing members for their continued commitment.”

Notes to editors: 

1. The statutory role of the IMB is set out in full in Part 16 of the Prison and Young Offenders Centre Rules (Northern Ireland) 1995.
2. There are three Independent Monitoring Boards, one for each of the prison establishments in Northern Ireland - Hydebank Wood College and Women’s Prison; Maghaberry; and Magilligan.
3. IMB Members are volunteers and do not receive remuneration for time spent on IMB business.  Reasonable travel and subsistence is payable at Northern Ireland Civil Service rates.
4. New Members are appointed for one term from 1 April 2023 until 31 March 2026.
5. Press queries about this publication should be directed to the DoJ Press Office via email to press.office@justice-ni.gov.uk
6. The Executive Information Service operates an out of hours service for media enquiries only between 1800hrs and 0800hrs Monday to Friday and at weekends and public holidays. The Duty Press Officer can be contacted on 028 9037 8110.

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