TDs from different parties appeal to McDowell not to shut prison doors

FOUR Cork TDs from different political parties have joined forces in an effort to prevent the closure of Fort Mitchell Prison on Spike Island.

Fine Gael's Simon Coveney and David Staunton; the Labour Party's Kathleen Lynch, and Dan Boyle of the Green Party have all visited the prison in recent weeks to inspect what they describe as one of the best-run prisons in the country.

They are concerned that Justice Minister Michael McDowell's decision to close the prison as a response to the refusal of prison officers to accept a new annualised hours system will be seriously detrimental to young offenders who have benefited from the prison's education service and its largely drug free environment.