POA: Overcrowding played part in prison riot

PRISON officers said the overcrowding crisis in Mountjoy Prison “undoubtedly” played a part in Wednesday night’s riot and claimed inmates were like “flies on top of each other” in the notorious prison.

Insiders said the riot in the recreation yard and recreation hall of the ‘A’ division by 78 prisoners “appeared to be planned” and that one of the ringleaders was a notorious criminal from Limerick.

Sources said while this inmate had personal issues to do with access to showers and wanting to move out of Mountjoy, officers are adamant most of the problems stem from overcrowding.

The Prison Officers’ Association (POA) has raised specific issues following the riot:

nThey claim there were only six officers in the recreation yard and recreation hall when the riot broke out.

nThe prisoners armed themselves with metal goal posts which they broke off from supposedly “unbreakable” goals, which prison officers claim cost over €4,000.

POA deputy general secretary Eugene Dennehy said they urgently wanted a reduction in numbers in the prison and the creation of a segregation area for hard-core troublemakers.

“We are not saying this was entirely due to overcrowding,” said Mr Dennehy. “There were personal issues of prisoners relating to showering and wanting to be moved out of the prison, but overcrowding played a part, no doubt about that. Prisoners are like flies on top of each other, fighting over scarce resources, to the tuck shop, to toilets, to showers, to workshop, etc. They spend a lot of their time hanging around in gangs.”

He said there were 677 inmates in the prison on Wednesday night – far higher than the 450 design capacity of the prison and the maximum of 540 set by the Inspector of Prisons, Judge Michael Reilly. He said the figure has reached well over 700 at various stages in recent months.

He said the high numbers had serious implications for prison officers trying to maintain control. “The guys in the A division are fairly toughened. Say there’s 100-120 of them, keeping them under control is hard and there can sometimes be only a handful of prison officers looking after them.”

He said there were only six officers supervising the 78 prisoners when they rioted. Prison officers estimated 35-40 of the inmates were “hard core” and had armed themselves with a range of weapons, including pool cues and pool balls, legs from tables and chairs as well as the goal posts. They also acquired bleach which they planned to throw at the canine unit assembled outside the prison. Many of the rioters covered their faces in makeshift balaclavas.

Three prison officers and one prisoner had to be hospitalised. Some of the rioters barricaded their cells once the Prison Service’s riot squad cleared the rioters and put them back in their cells. It’s understood the Limerick ringleader and other ringleaders from Dublin have been moved to other prisons.

Justice Minister Dermot Ahern praised the staff, but said the incident was not due to overcrowding. He said there was an overcrowding problem but said the state couldn’t put up a “house full” sign.

He said he was opening new units in Wheatfield, Portlaoise, Dochas, Castlerea and Shelton Abbey and 400 spaces in a phased Thornton Hall were going ahead.