The governor of Hydebank Wood Secure College and Women’s Prison has said he was “incredibly humbled and deeply honoured” to learn he was to be made an OBE for public service.
Richard Taylor said he had to credit all the staff of the south Belfast facility for turning it around after a highly critical inspection report in 2013. Justice Minister Naomi Long has now described it as a “model of excellence”.
“I was totally shocked to be honest, it’s not something I ever would have expected,” he told the PA news agency.
“My first reaction was I was incredibly humbled and deeply honoured by the letter.
“It is recognition for the work that every colleague has done here, it’s not just for me, it’s for every officer, every member of staff and every individual who has contributed to Hydebank Wood, and I hope that that is seen by everyone.”
Mr Taylor said he started his career 37 years ago as a prison officer at the then recently opened Maghaberry Prison in Co Antrim, before moving into training and then management.
He said when he joined the Northern Ireland Prison Service during the Troubles, the ethos was security, whereas now it is focused on the regime, ensuring inmates have purposeful activity.
He said the focus on education is behind the drop in numbers of young offenders, explaining the Hydebank population has changed from around 30-40 females and more than 200 young males to around 130 females and 50 young males.
“When people have purposeful activity and education to take part in, it leads to a very healthy and successful prison environment,” he said.
“People who are locked up for long periods of time behind doors with nothing to entertain their day, that will result in behaviour problems.
“We centred learning and skills at the heart of all that we did, and that was looking at what people’s skills were through assessment on committal and then getting them involved in a full education programme.
“It has built a good agenda in terms of respect as well. Over the years we had long conversations about calling people students instead of offenders, but in reality we call them by their first names and they call us by our first names.
“It is about making people responsible young adults, giving them an opportunity to get an education and a job on release, and I believe that is one of the main factors for the young men especially for why our numbers have been reducing, year on year on year, and we don’t get that revolving door of people coming back in.”
He added: “In Hydebank we have a very predictable regime and that was part of the transformation process that has happened over the last decade, and I am just one of a number of many people who have been involved in it.
“The recognition, while deeply personal to me, is probably in truth a testament to the collective dedication of everybody who has been involved in Hydebank, and that includes our partner agency, the Probation Board Northern Ireland and the South Eastern Health Trust who we work very closely with.”
Mr Taylor said he has been governor at Hydebank for nine out of the last 12 years, having spent three years at Magilligan in the north west from 2018 to 2021.
He initially came to the prison in 2013 after a critical inspection report.
“I was sent to Hydebank just after that to lead a taskforce for change, and we created that model for the college environment which was the first secure college in the UK and Ireland,” he said.
“Since that we have built on that, and our last inspection last year was an extremely successful inspection which is a powerful validation of the efforts of everyone who was involved in it.”
He said part of the success at Hydebank was changing the culture, adding it gives him “immense pride” to see the progress after a long and challenging road.
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