McDowell hits back at ‘total failure’ claims

JUSTICE Minister Michael McDowell last night hit back at trenchant criticism of the prison system by outspoken Inspector of Prisons Dermot Kinlen, who had described the system as a “total failure”.

The inspector also said five prison officers were under suspicion of smuggling drugs into prisons.

Mr McDowell, however, hit back saying that Mr Justice Kinlen had told him, in conversation, that he [the minister] had not treated him well, as an inspector, “and that, like a dog that had been mistreated, he [Mr Kinlen] would turn on me and he was about to turn on me. So I feel his remarks today are a little bit unbalanced”.