Maghaberry Prison

Offending Behaviour Programmes

A multi-disciplinary team consisting of prison officers, probation and psychology staff together with outside agencies offer a range of programmes to assist prisoners take responsibility for their offending behaviour.

A wide range of group programmes are delivered:

Sex Offenders Treatment Programme

Enables sex offenders to understand the factors which contributed to their offending and to develop strategies that will reduce the risk of re-offending on release.

 Alcohol Education

To educate inmates on the effects of alcohol on the individual, their health and their relationships with others.

 Alcohol Awareness

A programme to test participants realisation of how alcohol has taken over their lives and to enable them to develop coping strategies so that they can avoid high risk situations in which they drink again.

 Drugs Education

Similar in format and content of the Alcohol Education programme.

 Drugs Awareness

A programme in which inmates can discuss offending behaviour cycles and identify trigger points in their own lives which may have led them to use drugs or commit offences in order to feed their own habit. Coping strategies are developed in order to help the individual avoid high risk situations in which they may use drugs again.

 Stress & Relaxation

Developed primarily to help inmates cope with life in prison.

 Anger Management

Developed to enable participants cope with episodes of anger, whether verbal, physical or otherwise. The programme seeks to create empathy with the victims of their aggression.

 Enhanced Thinking Skills

A programme designed to enable participants to stop and consider their own thoughts and the consequences of acting on impulse, use more creative thinking and to work out the gains and losses of whatever decision they choose to make.

 Parenting

To enable inmates to relate to their own children and family members.

 Deniers Information Group

A group aimed at sex offenders who deny their offending. It helps to inform such prisoners about Sex Offender Treatment

 Pre-release

Designed to help long -term prisoners begin the process of returning to society.

Relationships

Designed to enable participants to deal with their inter-personal relationships including that between officer and prisoner.