Lisnevin Training School was a secure borstal that looked after adolescent boys who were either on remand or had been referred from more open training schools. Opening in 1973, the site could accommodate up to 40 boys, many of which were either violent or were at risk of absconding.
Surrounded by a seven-meter fence, this was more like a prison than a school, with individual cells, controlled access and small windows to prevent anyone from escaping. Issues started at the site from the moment it was announced; locals didn’t want the facility built there, it was difficult to access via public transport and the building itself was designed as a category C prison, something not suited to young people.
A document on the The Historical Institutional Abuse Inquiry website documents what staff had to endure: “a range of disruptive, provocative, destructive and, at times, violent behaviour from boys, including riots involving a number of boys acting together. The behaviour included boys barricading themselves in rooms, destroying furniture and fittings, flooding rooms, starting fires and fighting with each other and with staff.” Standards were constantly poor and at one point the reoffending rate was said to be around 100%.
Lisnevin had a range of facilities from an onsite medical clinic, with 3 nurses, workshops, laundry rooms and a sports hall, to name a few.
In November 2003 a new detention centre opened and the boys at Lisnevin were transferred. The PSNI (Police Service of Northern Ireland) took over the site as a training centre which remained in operation until 2016 when the site closed for good.
Watch our explore of Lisnevin at 19:58:
Sources: Urbexhub.com, The Historical Institutional Abuse Inquiry
