Mother ‘heavily monitored’

THE Roscommon mother jailed for seven years is being “heavily monitored” by staff at Dóchas Women’s Prison in the health care unit.

The health care unit is a small unit which caters for inmates with medical and psychiatric needs. It is understood that she has not come out for anything or spoken to anybody.

She is believed to be in her own room, with a high level of supervision. But prison sources indicated she is not being isolated from other inmates.

It is expected she will be in the health care unit for a number of days before prison management decide whether or not to integrate her with the rest of the population.

Sources said there had been no incidents so far or any trouble involving the woman.

It is understood that management at the Mountjoy facility had been preparing for the arrival of the mother-of-six before her court sentencing on Thursday.

“A lot of thought has gone in to how to handle her if she came here,” said a prison source.

While a number of sources were playing down speculation of the likelihood of inmates targeting the woman, they did accept that her case did have the potential to cause unrest.

“This case does have to potential to shake things up,” said one source.

But he quickly added that violent incidents between inmates in the state’s two female prisons were rare.

“There’s a very different atmosphere in female prisons. We don’t have the type of violent incidents as in male prisons.”

Sources pointed out that men convicted of incest, or of abusing children, were singled out for violence in male prisons, particularly those housing sex offenders.

“Crimes of that nature, against children, are targeted in male prisons, even by other sex offenders and outcasts in those prisons,” a source said.

However, there would be close observation of the prisoner.

“The situation will be heavily monitored,” said one source.

“We will be keeping a regular, close, eye on her but she won’t be on suicide watch or anything formal like that. She will not be isolated or put into 23-hour lock up or protection.”

He said staff would quickly intervene if she was being targeted by other inmates.