Debate contribution: Justice Bill: Consideration Stage
Debate contribution by Ms Emma Sheerin on .
- MLA
- Ms Emma Sheerin
- Party at the time
- Sinn Féin
- Date
- 23 June 2026
- Type
- Debate contribution
- Business
- Executive Committee Business
- Heading
- Justice Bill: Consideration Stage
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 5637344
Read the official Assembly record
Text
Like the Member who has just spoken, I and my colleagues in Sinn Féin will vote in favour of amendment No 96, which we believe to be a common-sense amendment to increase safety provisions for prisoners as they return to the outside world, and against amendment No 97, which is a deliberate and politically motivated oversimplification of a complex and sensitive issue. Policy on prisoner management should be guided by evidence, including professional and operational expertise. Unfortunately, some seek to reduce that complex issue to an ill-informed and divisive culture war debate, which distracts from the practical realities of prison management and prisoner safety. Our focus is on how to protect the safety, dignity and welfare of prisoners and prison staff. The current risk-based approach to prisoner placement on a case-by-case basis, which is centred on specific individual assessments, is designed to do precisely that. Risk assessments should include full, evidence-based consideration of an offender, including pre-sentence reports, offending history and criminal records. Those with a history of violence or sexual abuse should not be placed in women's prisons. The TUV amendment refers to the British Supreme Court judgement that interprets the Equality Act, which does not apply to us in the North of Ireland. Why would we incorporate into our law legislation that has not been debated, agreed or adopted by the Assembly? The judgement does not determine how our legal framework should be interpreted. We have our own equality legislation and, importantly, under the Windsor framework, European law provides the standard that must be maintained, which is a point that the Supreme Court in London did not deal with in its judgement. While the Equality Commission has committed to producing legal guidance for employers and public bodies in the North, the guidance has not yet been produced. The commission should be given the time and space to carry out that work carefully. In that respect, the amendment prejudges that work and is therefore totally inappropriate. We in Sinn Féin support a risk-based approach to prisoner placement, determined on a case-by-case basis through comprehensive individual assessment. That approach ensures that the safety and well-being of prisoners and prison staff remain the primary consideration and the deciding factors in every placement decision. We will vote against the TUV amendment.
379 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
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