United Kingdom · Northern Ireland · Lisburn
HMP Maghaberry
Data is aggregated from public sources and may be incomplete or out of date. Always verify with primary sources before acting on any figure. See data sources.
For families
How to send mail, money, and visit HMP Maghaberry
Step-by-step guidance using the United Kingdom system — addresses, money services, visit booking, what to bring on your first visit.
Northern Ireland's only high-security prison. Houses sentenced and remand adult males including separated paramilitary prisoners.
Background
HM Prison Maghaberry is a high security prison near Lisburn, Northern Ireland, which opened in 1986. It was built on the site of RAF Maghaberry, a World War II airfield used as a flying station by the Royal Air Force and a transit airfield for the United States Army Air Forces. At the end of the war, the airfield was run down and was bought back from the Air Ministry in 1957 by Edward Thomas Boyes who then farmed it with his sons until the Northern Ireland Office began work on the prison in 1976. Mourne House, which held female prisoners, young offenders, and remands, was the first part to be opened, in March 1986. This followed the closure of the women's prison at HMP Armagh.
Source: Wikipedia article lead, CC-BY-SA.
Capacity
781
Current population
720
Occupancy
92%
Year opened
1986
Operational
Facility profile
Operator
Northern Ireland Prison Service
Population held
male
Opened
1986
Region
Northern Ireland
Security level
Maximum
Death-row facility
No
Conditions
CJINI inspections describe a complex mixed-regime estate. Separated wings (Roe House and Bush House) reflect NI's political history.
Visiting
Pre-booked via the NIPS visits line; specific arrangements apply to separated regimes.
Mailing
Format: Prisoner Name & Number, HMP Maghaberry, Old Road, Lisburn BT28 2PT, Northern Ireland.
Practical info
Family Centre operated by NIACRO.
Known issues
Repeated CJINI concerns about the use of segregation and conditions in separated regimes.
Notable inmates
Various paramilitary-affiliated inmates (names withheld).
Contact & address
Conditions Risk Score
Derived signal — not a judgement. How it's calculated
- Overcrowding
- 0/30
- Oversight reports
- 0/30
- Structural flags
- 0/15
- Death signals
- 0/15
- Conditions text
- 0/10
Compared to other facilities in United Kingdom
583 peersHigher risk than 0% of peer facilities in United Kingdom.
Data completeness
100%How many of our profile fields are populated. We surface this so families and researchers know the limits.
Sources
- Criminal Justice Inspection NI — Maghaberry
- Wikidata — Wikimedia Foundation
- Wikipedia — Wikimedia Foundation
- See /data-sources for our overall methodology.