We did not mistreat report, says department

Department of Justice officials said it would “never be their intention” to treat the Office of the Children’s Ombudsman “with anything other than the highest of respect”.

Their comments follow Emily Logan’s revelation that she believed the department “were sneering” at a report she had published on St Patrick’s Institution two years ago.

A report by the Inspector of Prisons released this week found serious human rights breaches at St Patrick’s including offenders having their clothes removed by force while others had family visits prohibited as a form of punishment.

The inspector, Judge Michael Reilly, also revealed that investigations into the majority of prisoner complaints, including alleged assaults or serious inappropriate actions by officers, were flawed and incomplete.

Last night a spokeswoman for the Department of Justice said it wanted to “place on record its appreciation for the work of the Ombudsman for Children. Any issues relating to the health and welfare of children and young people are treated with the utmost seriousness,” she said.

Ms Logan told RTÉ Radio she had had a “very difficult battle” to make officials see St Patrick’s inmates as children.

“The attitude has been one of indifference. I publicly commented in our annual report that I was very disappointed that people at a very senior level in the Department of Justice, right up to secretary-general, told me as I sat in front of a UN committee that this was about child perception and really dampened down that this was real, because of the people who are reporting it,” Ms Logan said.

The Inspector of Prisons report also found a cohort of prison officers at the centre were bullying prisoners. These officers are now under investigation by the Prison Service.

The Irish Prison Officers Association admitted none of the accused prison officers have been suspended. Its deputy general secretary, Jim Mitchell, said it would never condone bullying or inappropriate handling of prisoners but that the officers in question were “entitled to fair disciplinary procedure and due process”.

“We have always taken a tough line on bullying in prisons and we have been the ones who have taken the initiative with the Irish Prison Service on all kinds of bullying at a time when they said there was none,” Mr Mitchell said.

“We are not childcare workers. People have to remember that many of these guys are not your typical 17-year-old and have more life experience under their belt than you and I ever will.”