24-hour lockdown ‘won’t keep drugs out of jail’

EVEN a 24-hour ‘lock-down’ of prisoners in St Patrick’s Institution in Dublin would not stop drugs being smuggled in illegally, the deputy governor said yesterday.

Séamus Cramer said officers worked hard to stop drugs getting in, as he spoke at the inquest of John Paul Mitchell, aged 20, of Orchard Park, The Curragh, Co Kildare, who died with massive amounts of ecstasy in his system.

Mr Mitchell was discovered dead in his bed on a drug-free wing of the prison for 16- to 21-year-olds on December 13, 2003.

His father, Ignatius, said the family were devastated and they raised a number of concerns, including the availability of drugs in the prison, the checking system of prisoners and the way the body was presented to him in the State mortuary.

“Last year, on December 13, 2003, it was just unbearable for us. All he wanted was to be out on temporary release. It was so hurtful. And the way he was sent home in a body-bag.

“My life is just ruined,” he added, as he showed the coroner his son’s memorial card.

On the 24-hour lock-down, Mr Cramer said: “Even at that, the ingenuity of people, they never cease to amaze me.

“Despite our best efforts, including netting over the walls, no contact during visits, random cell searches and random searches after visits, drugs are still smuggled in.”

The deceased, who was on the drug-free wing, D3, had one positive test for amphetamines but had 16 completely clean tests since, including one on the day before he died.

A prison officer said they did their best to keep prisoners on the drug-free wing separate from others.

The court heard Mr Mitchell was checked every half-hour through the flap on his door. However, the Dublin City Coroner’s Court heard his face could not be seen during these checks.

Professor Marie Cassidy, State Pathologist, said that ecstasy found in Mr Mitchell’s system was 10 times that of a normal dose of the drug and he died of ecstasy toxicity.

The jury passed a verdict of death by misadventure.