Northern Ireland Office

Criminal Justice Minister, John Spellar, today announced that the Youth Justice Agency is preparing to move the young people in the Lisnevin Juvenile Justice Centre, near Millisle, to refurbished interim facilities at Rathgael in Bangor by the end of September.

This move will result in the closure of Lisnevin and the creation of a single centre site for boys and girls, as recommended in the Criminal Justice Review.

Commenting on the interim arrangements, John Spellar said: "The Rathgael facilty will provide a tangible step change in the custodial provision for juvenile offenders in Northern Ireland.

"The refurbished accommodation has capacity for 43 boys and girls and will provide, within a campus-style setting, a better physical environment in which to detain young people. This will enable staff to engage more effectively with the young people and to facilitate the delivery of a wider range of programmes.

"While the Rathgael Centre is a significant advance on the inadequate accommodation at Lisnevin, it is still not ideal and will be replaced by a purpose-built centre on the same site in 3 years time."

Martin Mogg, Chief Executive of the Youth Justice Agency said: " The move to the Bangor centre with its enhanced facilities is an exciting development which will provide us with the capacity to deliver the reform agenda in a more meaningful way. We are even more excited by the prospect of the state the art, purpose built centre, to be constructed on the Rathgael site over the next few years."

• Legislative changes introduced between 1996 and 1999 resulted in the reduction in the number of children held in custody from around 100 to around 30
• Recommendation 177 of the Review of the Criminal Justice System in Northern Ireland recommended that Lisnevin juvenile justice centre be closed.
• Following a comprehensive review of the juvenile justice centre estate the then Minister of State Adam Ingram MP announced that a single centre for boys and girls would be built at Rathgael site and Lisnevin would close.
• The development of the Bangor site has been advanced in two stages. Phase I, which has now been completed, involved the refurbishment of the Rathgael centre. Phase II relates to the delivery of a purpose-designed centre in line with the Government's commitment which is due for completion by 2006
• The Rathgael centre was previously an open unit used for girls and vunerable young boys.
• Lisnevin has for many years been a secure custodial facility for boys. It was originally a borstal and training school and its prison like construction is no longer appropriate for the delivery of modern day child care practice.