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Justice Minister Naomi Long has outlined details of a range of emotional support dogs in Northern Ireland prisons, just weeks after one had to be retired following "threats". A dog at Magilligan Prison in Co Derry was removed due to a "callous and calculated threat", the Northern Ireland Prison Service said in late September. Now, the Justice Minister has outlined details of a range of other support animals used at either Hydebank Wood College or HMP Magilligan in recent years. She had been asked for the details by SDLP MLA Cara Hunter, who made the request through Stormont's written Assembly Questions mechanism. She asked for details of the "total expenditure for the procurement of emotional support or therapy dogs for deployment within prisons; the duration of each dog’s stay within the prison system; and the reason for each dog’s removal, in each of the last ten years". Mrs Long said there is one emotional support dog at Maghaberry Prison, managed by the "Healthcare in Prison team", as she outlined details "in respect of Hydebank Wood College and HMP Magilligan". At Hydebank Wood College, an animal named Buttons retired due to age in 2021. Another animal, named Jingles, was at Hydebank from 2019 to 2020 as part of a pilot with Assist Dogs NI and was left when a staff member left the service. A creature named Rocky retired due to age after spending 13 years in Hydebank from 2012 to 2025. An animal named Eva has been in the prison since 2021 and remains a working dog at Hydebank at present, while another named Milo has been there since 2023 and has not yet retired. At Magilligan, there have been three support animals over recent years - Archie who retired due to age, and Ollie who resides with a member of staff. Bailey, whose handling drew criticism and eventually had to be removed due to a threat, left the prison in September. For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter here.
