Call for prison violence to be tackled
The report urges the Government to tackle what it calls the “growing phenomenon of inter-prisoner violence” and warns that several prisons are “unsafe” both for prisoners and staff.
It also questions the level of force used by both gardaí and prison officers against people in detention, and claims complaints are discouraged and allegations of ill-treatment are badly recorded and poorly investigated.
A nine-member delegation from the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) compiled the 62-page document following a visit here last year.
Their arrival followed the death of 21-year-old drug addict Gary Douch, who was fatally beaten by a fellow inmate with psychiatric problems despite supposedly being under “protection” after expressing fears for his safety.
The committee blamed the easy availability of drugs in prisons, unsuitable prison buildings and lack of activities for prisoners for fuelling the intimidation, bullying and violence. It said in some cases fearful prison officers seemed to have “given up” trying to confiscate drugs.
The majority of prison staff were acknowledged to be “attempting to deal in a humane manner with the prisoners in their charge”, but the CPT said its delegation received allegations of verbal and physical abuse by staff in every prison visited.
Likewise, most of those asked about their treatment in Garda custody had no complaints, but the delegation reported that “a considerable number of persons did allege verbal and/or physical ill-treatment by gardaí”.
Among the CPT’s recommendations are that prison staff and gardaí are made subject to severe sanctions if they breach rules on the treatment of detainees. Other recommendations are that all Garda interrogations be video and audio recorded, that CCTV be installed throughout all Garda stations, and that prison officers receive greater management support and continuing training in the handling of inmates.
The report is published in Strasbourg today along with the Government’s response, which points to the recent establishment of the Garda Ombudsman Commission and the introduction of new prisoner appeals tribunals as evidence of the State’s commitment to tackling the shortcomings highlighted.
In a joint statement, the Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL) and the Irish Penal Reform Trust (IPRT) said the report showed conditions in Irish prisons were “unsafe and degrading”. It welcomed the establishment of the Garda Ombudsman and new prison rules, but said there was still work to do.
“The CPT has found that Irish prisons operate outside international standards in many areas with the result that the State is failing to protect prisoners from harm,” said Dr Ursula Kilkelly of the IPRT.
Mark Kelly, of the Irish Council for Civil Liberties, said “action was needed to stamp out ill-treatment by members of an Garda Síochána”.
