Prison officers criticise bosses for cutting praised rehabilitation scheme

THE Prison Officers’ Association (POA) has strongly criticised prison bosses for slashing a much-praised rehabilitation programme in Mountjoy Jail.

The POA said the work parties were “unilaterally halved” by the Irish Prison Service (IPS) last March.

Work parties operate every day, all year round and involve taking a small group of inmates out to do various types of community work.