‘Attacks are now a regular feature of prison life’
The flip side of Garda successes in putting gang members behind bars has increased tensions and led to an increase in very serious assaults.
“In the last two or three years, this issue has grown to huge proportions. The public have this perception that ‘once they’re in prison, what can they do?’ We have almost 500 men in here at any time and they have to get out for exercise and have to go for food and have to go for workshops. There could be 80 or 100 men walking around the yard for exercise.”
He added: “The reality is that prison is getting more and more difficult to keep people apart and be aware of who’s who.
“It’s a genuine extra demand that is put on prisons generally, and prison management and particularly prison staff. Prison staff are at the coalface. They have to put themselves at risk in entering and pulling people apart,” Mr Lonergan said.
According to the Mountjoy governor, the violence that’s now prevalent in gang-hit areas of Dublin city is translating inside.
“The attacks that are now a regular feature of prison life are, at times, vicious attacks. They’re not a couple of blows to the head or fisticuffs.
“You’re talking about stabbings or very serious assaults. It’s quite obvious that the intent is to seriously damage the other prisoner.”
He said that such incidents — which can number five or six per week — are not out of the blue and not as a result of disputes that crop up in prison.
“Ninety-nine per cent of them are not prison-related. They originate out in the community, either people are in feuds outside or have failed to pay their debts for money they owe for drugs, or else they’re fingered for something by individuals in prison.
“Sometimes there are family feuds, family members going against each other. It’s an ongoing battle and knowing who’s in what gang is all very difficult and complex stuff. Sometimes we don’t know who’s aligned to who and who owes who money.”
Meanwhile, this week has seen the completion of 50-feet high netting on top of the Mountjoy boundary walls in a bid to prevent drugs and weapons being thrown over the wall and into the exercise yard.
Mr Lonergan revealed that this move was prompted by daily finds of knives, heroin, cocaine, cannabis, prescription tablets, and other contraband in the yard.
“It was a major problem. The major concern, in addition to the drugs, was that there was very dangerous weaponry being thrown over. We search the grounds every time the prisoners go out, in the mornings and afternoons and evenings.”
Mr Lonergan added :“The difficulty is when they’re thrown in while the prisoners are in the yard. If prisoners get to it first, it disappears. We’re very confident that the new barrier will have a big effect.”
