Sickness absence costing prison service more than £3 million a year Justice Minister Naomi Long said she was committed to delivering measures to enhance support for serving and retired prison staff. Picture by Mal McCann Michael McHugh, PA 25 January, 2021 13:52 Sickness absence has cost the Northern Ireland Prison Service (NIPS) more than £3 million annually for the last three years, a report said. A significant number of prison staff suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, a review ordered by the justice minister said, yet some support services were relatively under-used. Some older staff held concerns about speaking out about mental health. During the year to March 2020, 988 absences were recorded.