Almost 1,200 prisoners avail of drug counselling

THE number of prisoners accessing drug counselling in jail has now reached almost 1,200 while 34 people are on a waiting list for drug treatment programmes.

New figures from the Irish Prison Service show just 34 people — 23 of whom are in Mountjoy — were awaiting a place on a drug treatment programme.

However, the prison service also revealed that 1,196 prisoners engaged with the Merchants Quay Addiction Counselling Service over 2010 — and 57% of clients had never before been engaged in treatment.

As for those on the waiting list for treatment, a spokesman for the prison service said: “There will be some on waiting lists who cannot be initiated on methadone due to lack of a community placement.”

The prison service drug treatment clinical policy states: “Before a methadone maintenance programme is initiated a treatment place must be sought from, and confirmed with, the community agency who will provide follow-up care and methadone prescribing on release from prison.”

That could also lead to people having to stay on waiting lists, although the prison service stressed that “all will be engaged in some level of drug treatment within the prison such as detox or addiction counselling”.

Others on the most recent waiting list were in the Midlands Prison (three prisoners), Wheatfield (six inmates) and Cloverhill (six prisoners).

It emerged in December that the HSE had secured additional development funding to further develop drug treatment services in HSE South — which includes Cork, Kerry, Carlow, Kilkenny, Wexford and Waterford and it is anticipated that this will significantly increase the number of patients in Cork City availing of treatment services, including methadone substitution therapy.

Methadone service provision in Cork Prison is likely to begin in the middle of 2011.

Methadone maintenance is available in eight of the 14 prisons accounting for over 75% of the prison population.

The prison system has been criticised for its drugs policy, with the Irish Prison Chaplains Association claiming in November that a lack of political will was the only obstacle to making jails drug-free.

Mountjoy has nine places available for a therapeutic drug-free programme, and the prison service said there are currently drug-free units in Wheatfield Prison, St Patrick’s Institution, Castlerea Prison and Mountjoy Prison, with inmates who wish to remain substance-free able to apply for transfer to these units.

If they are considered suitable, they will be required to sign a contract to remain substance-free.