STAFF at Maghaberry Prison have received an award at a conference for prisons professionals in Buenos Aires.
The Offender Management and Reintegration Award was presented at the annual conference of the International Corrections and Prisons Association (ICPA).
It was awarded to Maghaberry staff on Wednesday in recognition of "outstanding programmes which contribute to the safe reintegration of offenders into the community".
The conference in Argentina's capital city had 500 delegates from custodial organisations across the world.
Presenting the award, ICPA president Peter Severin said: "The commitment shown by staff at Maghaberry in transforming the prison from one of the most dangerous in Europe to an establishment that is delivering high-quality outcomes for the men imprisoned there is both remarkable and exemplary."
Northern Ireland Prison Service director general Ronnie Armour accepted the award on behalf of staff alongside Maghaberry governor Dave Kennedy.
Mr Armour said: "The staff at Maghaberry deserve the recognition they received and I want to congratulate everyone who works there on what was an amazing achievement."
Maghaberry Prison in Co Antrim holds more than 900 prisoners.
In 2015, an inspection report described it as one of the most dangerous prisons in western Europe, but last year a fresh inspection said it had made significant progress and was no longer unsafe and unstable.
