A SCHEME set up to allow prisoners to use Skype to contact friends and family may be extended to include other inmates - including sex offenders.
More than 70 approved inmates at Magilligan jail are being allowed access to the audio-visual technology as part of a new rehabilitation project.
The scheme, the first of its kind in Northern Ireland or Britain, was first piloted last year at the Co Derry facility but details have only just emerged.
Skype is a free way of communicating through computers which allows people to both speak to and see pictures of each other.
It is understood that to date no sex offenders have been involved in the scheme but they could be if the scheme is widened in the future.
It is believed the scheme may also be extended to include other prisons including the high security Maghaberry prison in Co Antrim.
Many of the prisoners in Magilligan, a medium to low-security facility that houses prisoners with fewer than six years to serve, are involved in pre release schemes.
It is understood that prisoners involved in the Skype project do not have direct access to the internet themselves but provide authorities with a list of people they would like to contact and can avail of 30 minutes each week.
While prison officers will monitor Skype images, they will not listen in on conversations between inmates and their loved ones.
Governor of Magilligan David Eagleson has championed the project saying he believes the scheme helps inmates maintain vital relationships.
“Moreover, imprisonment may also have a devastating effect on the development of relationships between a child and father. Being able to interact in ‘real time’ with their father, in their own home, helps children to understand he is engaged with their lives, interested in their achievements, and is there to support them in times of difficulty,” he said.
“This interaction also helps foster a sense of security, mitigate any negative social and developmental aspects on the children, and ease the reintegration of the father into the family home following release.”
East Derry assembly member John Dallat, who represents the area where the jail is located, welcomed the scheme but voiced concerns that sex offenders could be included in future.
The SDLP politician said that around 50 per cent of the prison’s population are sex offenders.
“They should not be included in the Skype programme, the risks are far too great and I don’t believe the prison is in a position to provide a level of supervision that would protect the wider world, that is the people they are Skyping to,” he said.
