Northern Ireland's rising prison population means an extra 75 Prison Service staff will have to be recruited at a cost of 3.5m, Justice Minister Naomi Long has announced. A disused cell block at Maghaberry is also being prepared for re-opening as part of contingency planning. The jail currently has 1,245 inmates – almost half of them are on remand, meaning they have not been convicted or sentenced. Mrs Long said the situation is challenging.PA MediaJustice minister Naomi Long says there has been a steep rise in prisoner numbers in recent years Northern Ireland has three prison sites: Maghaberry, Magilligan and Hydebank Wood, which houses women prisoners and young offenders. Over the last three years, inmate numbers across the sites have increased by 500 to 1,900.