Assaults at Northern Ireland's largest prison have surged dramatically, with recorded incidents more than doubling between 2021 and 2025 as staff warn of mounting strain on both officers and inmates.
Maghaberry Prison recorded 149 assaults in 2025, compared with 69 four years earlier—a rise of 116%. The Prison Officers' Association (POA) has attributed the spike to overcrowding and a swelling remand population, warning that conditions are becoming increasingly unstable.
Data obtained through a Freedom of Information request reveals that the growth in violence has outpaced the expansion of the prison population itself. Between April 2022 and April 2025, prisoner numbers at Maghaberry increased by 31%, from 1,000 to 1,307. Over the same period, recorded assaults climbed by 71%, from 87 to 149, according to figures from the Northern Ireland Prison Service (NIPS). More recent data shows the trend has continued: the prison population at Maghaberry had reached 1,408 by April 2026, representing a rise of more than 40% since April 2022.
The figures reflect only assaults formally reported to prison staff. Across the wider Northern Ireland prison estate, Magilligan Prison saw a 32% increase in assaults over the same period, while Hydebank Wood experienced a 9% increase.
Why are assaults rising faster than prisoner numbers?
Ivor Dunne, chairman of the POA and a prison officer for 43 years, points to the remand population as a key driver of instability. Remand prisoners are those held while awaiting trial or sentencing, and their presence creates particular challenges because of their uncertain status and frustration.
"The prison population at the moment is more than it has ever been,"Dunne said. He described remand prisoners as
"very, very unsettling"because
"they could be in prison today and out tomorrow."He believes the courts are
"completely swamped"and suggested that industrial action by barristers has contributed to the backlog.
Dunne emphasised that the frustration experienced by remand prisoners often manifests as violence directed at staff or other inmates.
"That frustration is then taken out on my members or other prisoners,"he explained. He contrasted Maghaberry with Magilligan Prison, which he described as having a
"more stable prison population."
The POA chairman also raised concerns about mental health pressures within the facility.
"Our staff or my members are not mental health nurses,"he said.
"They are prison officers that are there to do a professional job and they do it in a professional way."
Who is being assaulted?
Prisoner-on-prisoner violence accounts for the largest portion of the increase. There were 93 such incidents recorded in 2025, compared with just 26 in 2021—a rise of 258%. Assaults on staff by prisoners increased more modestly, from 43 in 2021 to 56 in 2025.
The POA warned that prison officers face a
"serious"threat, noting that while prisoners may not remember the officer who arrested them,
"they will remember the person that unlocks you every morning and locks you up at night."
What is the prison service doing about overcrowding?
NIPS acknowledged that any assault, whether against staff or inmates, is
"wholly unacceptable and must be condemned."The service identified high prison populations and overcrowding as the most significant factors contributing to disorder and violence.
At Maghaberry, sustained growth has forced the reopening of older accommodation that is
"less suited to meeting the demands of a modern prison estate."The prison service's 2025-26 annual report indicates that 520 prisoners at Maghaberry were sharing cells, underscoring the continued pressure on accommodation.
Every assault is subject to review, and appropriate action may include disciplinary measures, segregation, restrictions on association with other prisoners, or referral to the Police Service of Northern Ireland for criminal investigation.
What do campaigners say about the violence?
NIACRO (Northern Ireland Association for the Care and Resettlement of Offenders) described the rise in prisoner-on-prisoner assaults as
"deeply concerning."The organisation noted that violence in prisons can have
"a significant impact on the wellbeing of people in custody."
NIACRO highlighted multiple pressures contributing to the prison environment:
"High prison populations, increasing numbers of people held on remand, and the prevalence of addiction, mental health and other personal challenges can all place additional pressure on the prison environment."
The organisation also pointed out that families experience
"increased fear and worry"about the safety of loved ones in prison. NIACRO stressed that addressing violence
"should not be limited to dealing with assaults after they happen,"suggesting a need for preventative approaches.
Overcrowding in prisons across the UK has emerged as a systemic concern. Inspectors warned that overcrowding at HMP Low Moss in August 2025 created "insidious consequences", including pressure on staff, reduced services and poorer conditions for prisoners, highlighting how these challenges extend beyond Northern Ireland.
What does the POA say about staffing?
Dunne stressed that recruiting and retaining more prison officers is essential to maintaining stability.
"We need more officers recruited, which we're in the process of doing, we need the right officers recruited,"he said. He noted that having more experienced officers in place would help create stability, and that the rate at which staff were leaving had
"dropped quite considerably."
However, with the prison population continuing to rise, Dunne acknowledged that options are limited. When asked how Maghaberry could cope if prisoner numbers continued to increase, he responded:
"There is no other alternative."
Staffing challenges in prisons have been documented elsewhere in the UK. Former staff at the £400m HMP Millsike described understaffing, safety fears and repeated call-outs of specialist response units in the prison's first 18 months, suggesting that recruitment and retention difficulties are widespread across the prison estate.
Key Facts
- Assaults at Maghaberry Prison increased by 116% between 2021 and 2025, rising from 69 to 149 recorded incidents.
- Prisoner-on-prisoner assaults surged by 258% over the same period, from 26 to 93 incidents, accounting for the largest share of the increase.
- The prison population grew by 31% between April 2022 and April 2025, but assaults increased by 71%, indicating violence is rising faster than inmate numbers.
- Remand prisoners—those awaiting trial or sentencing—are identified as a key source of instability due to their uncertain status and frustration.
- Overcrowding has forced the reopening of older accommodation, with 520 prisoners sharing cells at Maghaberry in 2025-26.
