December 1976: Special Category Prisoners
December 1976 was a month for newly appointed leaders. Communist revolutionary Fidel Castro became President of Cuba, replacing Osvaldo Dorticós Torrado. Meanwhile, in Ireland, there was also a new Prime Minister.
Political Developments in December 1976
December began with the Fair Employment (Northern Ireland) Act coming into effect. The Act was introduced to give effect to the anti-discrimination provisions contained in the Northern Ireland Constitution Act 1973. The Fair Employment Act established the Fair Employment Agency which had two main functions; (1) the elimination of unlawful discrimination on the grounds of religious belief or political opinion, and (2) the promotion of equality through 'affirmative action'. The Act proved not to be strong enough and further legislation was introduced. A Command Paper was published in May 1988 entitled Fair Employment in Northern Ireland, followed by the Fair Employment Act in 1989. The Fair Employment Commission for Northern Ireland was subsequently incorporated into The Equality Commission for Northern Ireland.
On the 3rd of December, Patrick Hillery became the President of the Republic of Ireland.
The following day, the annual conference of the SDLP debated a motion calling on Britain to declare its intention of withdrawing from Northern Ireland. The motion was defeated by 158 votes to 111.
On the 5th of December, the Peace People organisation held another rally, this time in Drogheda, County Louth.
The Ulster Loyalist Central Co-ordinating Committee claimed, on the 12th of December, that some loyalist politicians had been involved in the past in the arrangements to purchase arms and explosives, and in choosing potential bomb targets.
On the 17th of December, a circular was sent to prisons across Northern Ireland which dealt with the classification of special category prisoners. It was provided to give guidance on classification problems particularly those involving persons who have committed offences both before and after the 1st of March 1976. There were 10 points.
This circular which applies with immediate effect revises the instructions under which persons on conviction are classified as Special Category prisoners.
The following conditions must be fully satisfied before any prisoner can be considered;
He/she must apply in writing to the Governor of his/her establishment (a board paper may be used for this purpose).
He/she must be serving a sentence of 9 months imprisonment or over for an offence which was committed or offences which were all committed before the 1st of March 1976.
He/she must be or have been, a member of, or have been closely associated with, a militant or subversive organisation (ie OIRA, PIRA, IRSP/ PLA, UDA, UVF, UFF, RHC, etc).
The offence(s) must have been connected with the civil disturbances and, as far as can be ascertained, carried out on behalf of the organisation to which he/she is associated.
Information in respect of (3) and (4) above, as regards those inmates held in custody before trial, should continue to be obtained in writing from the Superintendent, RUC Special Branch, Castlereagh, Belfast, as soon as any prisoner charged with an offence committed before the 1st of March 1976 is committed for trial.
When a prisoner applies for special category status his or her application should be referred to the Treatment of Offenders Branch (1), Northern Ireland Office, Dundonald House, for decision, by telephone if necessary. Details, as follows, must always be given at the time of referral;
The date, or dates, on which the offences were committed.
The sentence or sentences imposed.
The nature of the offence, or offences, if known.
The information supplied by the police in respect of 2(3) and (4) above and any information obtained from prison records (including past records).
Staff knowledge of the prisoners’ associations within the prison, and,
The grounds on which the prisoner is basing his claim for special category status.
When any application for special category status is approved a note should be made on the prisoner’s file recording the approval and the date it was given. The prisoner's full classification in accordance with Standing Order 1D6 should also be recorded on his or her file and the entry signed and dated.
No prisoner should be allocated to Special Category accommodation unless the Governor is completely satisfied that the Treatment of Offenders Branch (1) has approved his/her classification as a special category prisoner. If there is any element of doubt, confirmation should be obtained from the branch before any action is taken as regards placement.
During the period of the phasing out of special category status, a number of classification problems will arise in certain cases. These cases will concern prisoners who have committed offences connected with the civil disturbances both before and after the 1st of March 1976, (referred to as straddlers). The policy in relation to the classification of such cases is set out in Annex A to this circular for the information of Governors. Extreme care should be taken to ensure that all cases of this nature are identified on committal under sentence and the correct classification made. In any case, where a Governor is in doubt, he should seek clarification from Headquarters before allocating a prisoner to any particular category. When a special category prisoner commits a criminal offence during the currency of his sentence or while at large after the 1st of March 1976 (eg escapes or attempts to escape, fails to return from home leave, commits a serious assault on a prisoner or a member of staff, commits an offence while on home leave, etc) the case should be referred to Headquarters for a decision on classification.
All requests for reclassification from special category should continue to be referred to the Department together with a full report of the background to the application and a recommendation as to the advisability of approval.
All previous instructions regarding the classification of special category prisoners are hereby cancelled.
Governors should ensure that the contents of this circular are not communicated to prisoners.
December finished with the IRA holding a three-day ceasefire over the Christmas period (25th to 27th of December 1976).
Shootings & Beatings in December 1976
03/12/76 - RUC reservist Joseph Scott (50), a father of five, was on his regular duty guiding children over a school crossing in the centre of Dungannon. A masked gunman shot him three times in the back before escaping in a nearby car. He died en route to the hospital.
03/12/76 - An army foot patrol around the Short Strand in Belfast came under major gunfire from automatic weapons being fired from nearby nationalist housing. The soldiers returned fire and one IRA gunman was observed to fall, escaping with the aid of supporters into nearby housing.
05/12/76 - The UVF launched a gun attack on a Catholic-owned house at Mountainview Gardens, Belfast. Gunmen knocked at the door and, as 14-year-old Geraldine McKeown peered through the blinds, they opened fire. She died on the 8th of December. The house was in a mixed area.
07/12/76 - In Glengormley, North Belfast, three masked men driving a stolen car parked outside a prison officer's house. One of the assailants got out and shot at the off-duty officer but missed. The car was abandoned in Oldpark, Belfast.
11/12/76 - British soldier Howard Edwards (24) was shot dead by an IRA sniper while on patrol in the Bogside, Derry.
13/12/76 - Civilian Roy Young (23) was shot whilst trying to stop a bomb attack at his workplace at Halls’ BRush Factory, Wilson Street, Belfast.
15/12/76 - RUC officer Norman Campbell (19) was shot dead by an IRA unit while manning a security barrier in Portadown.
15/12/76 - Barman Patrick McGeown (25) was shot while inside the Mocking Bird Bar, ready, County Armagh.
18/12/76 - Civilian John Savage (17) was shot while travelling in a stolen car on Springfield Road, Belfast.
20/12/76 - Thomas Easton (22), a member of the UDA, was beaten to death by members of the UVF in Forthriver Road, Glencairn, Belfast. The killing was part of a feud between the UDA and the UVF.
26/12/76 - Civilian Paul Kerr (23) died three days after being shot while being involved in a burglary at a house, on Granville Road, Dungannon.
29/12/76 - Civilian security guard James Liggett (67) died two weeks after being shot trying to stop a bomb attack on the Tavern Bar, Edenderry, Portadown, County Armagh. The attack was later described in court as a joint IRA-INLA operation. The People's Liberation Army claimed responsibility.
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Bombings in December 1976
01/12/76 - An IRA rocket hit a British APC in Belfast. No injuries were reported.
03/12/76 - The IRA bombed the Spar Foodliner Supermarket in Belfast. Nearby houses on St Ives Gardens, Stranmillis Road suffered collateral damage.
04/12/76 - The IRA's Andersonstown unit attempted to explode a car bomb at Linfield Football Club at Windsor Park. The 60 lb. device was defused by EOD. The football club was targeted several times during the Troubles.
04/12/76 - A no-warning bomb exploded a few feet away from an Army OP on Mountview Street in the Oldpark area of Belfast. Several soldiers were inside the OP when the 10 lb. bomb exploded and were unhurt.
04/12/76 - EOD spent seven hours defusing a massive 200 lb. milk churn bomb left by the IRA. Over 300 homes were evacuated as the Army worked on two milk churns packed with high explosives, shrapnel and a primed mortar shell.
07/12/76 - IRA volunteers threw two hand grenades from a car at two RUC officers who were on security barrier duty in Kildare Street, Belfast. They managed to kick the grenades away before they exploded, immediately after shots were fired from another car but missed. The vehicles escaped into the nationalist Derrybeg estate.
09/12/76 - The IRA planted a series of firebombs in shops in Derry which caused an estimated £1 million in damages.
22/12/76 - The INLA killed RUC officer Samuel Armour (37) with a booby-trap bomb attached to his car outside his home, Curragh Road, Maghera, County Londonderry.
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