From 10 January to mid-March 2025, the Old Museum space at Mossley Mill, Newtownabbey, will host an exhibition exploring the history of the Northern Ireland Prison Service since its establishment on December 1, 1921.
The exhibition features a compelling mix of artifacts, photographs, and documents contributed by former prison officers, collectors, and the Prison Service itself. It provides a unique insight into the evolution of the Prison Service in Northern Ireland, highlighting perspectives from both staff and prisoners. Items on display include group photographs of prison staff through the decades and images of prisoners captured on glass plates over a century ago.
It charts the demise of some of the area's old Victorian prisons and the emergence of new systems and buildings, including a brief experiment with Open Prisons, and shows how the service adapted and changed through 'The Troubles', and how it has once again changed for the present day.
The Public Records Office of Northern Ireland has also contributed copies of many early documents and Northern Ireland Museums have reproduced several of the murals created ‘inside’ by both Loyalist and Republican prisoners that were fortunately preserved when the buildings that housed them were demolished.