Prison officers: Report backs our concerns

IRISH prisons are outdated, underfunded and understaffed, according to prison officers who say a report by an international human rights agency backs their concerns about their dangerous working conditions.

The Prison Officers Association (POA) was responding to the publication of a report by the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT), which warned of growing inter-prisoner violence, fuelled by drugs and gangland feuds and concluded several main prisons were unsafe for both inmates and staff.

“As constantly highlighted by the POA, our prisons are outdated, in many cases, underfunded and under-resourced and until this is addressed we will continue to have massive problems in our prisons,” said the association’s president, Jim Mitchell.

Director general of the Irish Prison Service Brian Purcell said it was impossible to prevent all acts of violence in prisons: “If there are problems on the outside with criminal gangs and feuding criminals, given the fact that prisons are full of criminals, it’s bound to be reflected in terms of what goes on inside.”

He rejected, however, the labelling of three prisons — Mountjoy, Limerick and St Patrick’s Institution — as unsafe. He said since June 1 there had only been 12 incidents involving weapons in Mountjoy, six in St Patrick’s and five in Limerick.

Amnesty International in Ireland said the report highlighted the inadequate mental health services available to prisoners, many of whom suffered from mental illness.

“The CPT criticises the over-reliance on drugs to treat prisoners with mental illness, and the underdevelopment of non-pharmocological interventions,” said the organisation’s legal manager, Fiona Crowley.

“It notes that, particularly in St Patrick’s Institution for young offenders, prisoners who had committed acts of self-harm and/or attempted suicide were usually provided with no follow-up psychological support.”

Fine Gael justice spoke- sman, Charlie Flanagan said: “While the prison regime should be tough it should also be in line with human rights legislation.”

Labour’s Pat Rabbitte said the report showed that intimidation, menace and violence were par for the course in many prisons. He said drugs and purposeful activities “are issues that require the attention of the Prison Services and the Minister for Justice as a matter of urgency”.

The report, compiled by a nine-member delegation who visited Ireland last year, also found that questionable levels of force were used on a “considerable number” of prisoners while in Garda detention or in prison.