Justice Minister Naomi Long today emphasised the critical need for a renewed collaborative approach to address challenges within the justice system, speaking at the first Correctional Research Symposium to be held in Belfast.

The three-day conference, hosted by the Northern Ireland Prison Service (NIPS) and co-hosted bi-annually by the European Organisation of Prison and Correctional Services (EuroPris) and the International Corrections and Prisons Association (ICPA), provides a platform for academics, public sector agencies, and other organisations to share evidence-based practices and research in corrections.

Minister Long highlighted the pressures facing the system: "Today, in Northern Ireland, the justice system is facing many of the same pressures being experienced in the rest of the United Kingdom, across Ireland and indeed globally. This includes delivering effectively within constrained budgets and with competing budgetary pressures in important areas like health and education. We are also managing a protracted and significant increase in the prison population within an ageing prison estate."

Despite these challenges, the Minister expressed a desire to build upon existing partnerships and learn from international counterparts. "We want to build upon the many strands of partnership that are already happening in our prisons and beyond. We want to learn from others," she said, noting that the diverse topics at the Symposium would facilitate learning on areas such as staff support, desistance, protecting minorities, changing culture, trauma, and how infrastructure aids rehabilitation.  

Minister Long stressed that achieving meaningful change requires a collaborative effort involving the development and implementation of initiatives to tackle wider societal issues contributing to offending behaviour. She also acknowledged that "additional resources will be required to make a real difference."   Describing the core ethos of the NIPS, Minister Long added: "An approach based upon partnership is fundamental to the ethos and the work of the Northern Ireland Prison Service. The Service works with over 40 individual organisations and those partnerships are focused on the core objective of rehabilitation and resettlement - preparing people in prison for life in the community." The collective aim, she said, is to support and challenge individuals to change their offending behaviour and reintegrate into society, free from criminality.

She detailed the extensive work undertaken by partners within prisons, ranging from support for addictions, mental health challenges, and trauma, to programmes supporting parenting skills and challenging attitudes that lead to violence against women. Educational, vocational, and employability skills training is also delivered via partners from the Further Education sector.

Gustav Tallving, Executive Director of EuroPris, commented: "EuroPris is proud to co-host the fourth Correctional Research Symposium alongside the Northern Ireland Prison Service and the International Corrections and Prisons Association. The Correctional Research Symposium provides a valuable platform for researchers, practitioners, and policymakers to share evidence-based approaches that support rehabilitation and safer communities." He commended NIPS for its leadership and highlighted that global challenges require international dialogue.

Natalie Boal, Executive Director of the ICPA, added: "This Symposium in Belfast represents exactly the kind of collaborative platform that drives innovation in correction. What we are witnessing in Northern Ireland, particularly the engagement with over 40 partner organisations, is an excellent model for other jurisdictions. This approach to rehabilitation and resettlement through multi-agency collaboration is precisely what modern corrections should strive for." She also thanked NIPS and Visit Belfast for their support in making the conference successful.