Maghaberry Prison: visits, calls and family info
Someone you care about is in Maghaberry Prison. Here is how to book visits, get the phone calls going, and send money in, with links to the official pages for the details that change.
Where it is
Maghaberry Prison is in Lisburn and Castlereagh. Postcode for sat navs: BT28 2PT. Get directions from where you are.
Plan for longer than the sat nav says. You usually need to arrive 45 minutes before the visit starts for checks.
Booking a visit
Visits are booked through the Northern Ireland Prison Service. The official Maghaberry Prison page has the visiting times and booking contacts, and lists what ID to bring.
Phone calls
They ring you, from approved numbers only, and calls cost them money, so keeping their account topped up keeps the calls coming. Call prices in Northern Ireland differ from England and Wales, so check with the prison. If they cannot ring yet, it is nearly always number approval or empty credit: our contact tool works through the common reasons.
Sending money and things in
The official page lists how to send money in Northern Ireland. Letters and cards nearly always get through; for anything else, check the prison's property rules first so parcels do not sit in storage.
What inspectors say
Prisons in Northern Ireland are inspected by Criminal Justice Inspection Northern Ireland, who publish their findings for each prison.
If money is tight
In Northern Ireland, the charity NIACRO supports prisoners' families, including help around visits. Ask the prison's visitor centre what is available.
Contacts and complaints
Contact Maghaberry Prison
- Who runs it
- Northern Ireland Prison Service
Full phone, address and email details for Maghaberry Prison are on the official page.
Worried about someone right now
If you fear for a prisoner's safety, ring the prison and ask for the Safer Custody team or the orderly officer, and say it is an emergency. For urgent family news like a death or serious illness, ask for the chaplaincy. The free Prisoners' Families Helpline (0808 808 2003) can help you reach the right person.
Making a complaint about the prison
Raise concerns with the prison first. If they are not resolved, the Prisoner Ombudsman for Northern Ireland investigates complaints and deaths in custody. For family support, the charity NIACRO can help.
How the prisoner makes a complaint
The person inside can use the prison's internal complaints process, and has confidential access to independent monitors and to the relevant ombudsman above. Staff cannot read or block confidential complaints to those bodies.
Useful official links
The bigger questions
A note on our calculators: sentence and release rules in Northern Ireland differ from England and Wales, so our release date tool and tag checker do not apply here. The guides on the first 48 hours and children and prison still help.
We keep prison pages up to date
We email when something changes that affects families, like visit rules or call prices. Otherwise a short update every few months. No spam. Stop any time.
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