Maria Watson

Director Reducing Offending, Northern Ireland Prison Service, Northern Ireland

Maria is currently the Director of Reducing Offending in the Department of Justice, leading on development and implementation of strategy and policy to reduce reoffending in Northern Ireland.  This includes driving a Programme for Government commitment to deliver a new cross Executive Strategy.  She also has responsibility for problem-solving approaches to diversion including early intervention through a Strategic Framework for Youth Justice, wider youth justice policy and legislation.  Maria is responsible for implementation of the Department’s Adult Restorative Justice Strategy and expansion of these services.  She leads on the justice wide approach to reduce prison population remand levels, including the establishment of a new bail support scheme and alternatives to remand.  She also drives the cross departmental implementation of a strategy for women and girls at risk of, or in contact with, the criminal justice system. 

Before this Maria was also the Director of Rehabilitation, leading the delivery of rehabilitation support services across Northern Ireland prisons.  She was responsible for the strategic development, delivery and oversight of their rehabilitative and resettlement services.   This involved designing and implementing programmes and interventions to encourage change and support a reduction in reoffending.  Maria was also responsible for overseeing the planning, commissioning, delivery and performance of rehabilitative interventions (i.e. learning and skills, offender management) and develop outcomes measurement tools to demonstrate the impact of rehabilitation on prisoner outcomes. She also led the design of a Rehabilitation Improvement Programme, to embed an enhanced prisoner development framework, and delivery of probation and psychology services in prisons.a