Inmates ‘develop heroin habit in jail’

YOUNG offenders and people on remand awaiting trial are getting hooked on heroin inside Limerick Prison, a study has found.

The report – conducted by researchers at Dublin City University for the Bedford Row Family Project in Limerick – said an estimated 80% of inmates have taken drugs; mainly cannabis, heroin and prescription drugs.

The authors said the finding that offenders were getting their first taste of heroin inside Limerick Prison was consistent with other studies of prisons.

They said it was particularly worrying given that people on remand awaiting trial and first-time offenders made up a large percentage of Limerick’s inmates.

“This is a significant finding in that the prison houses a significant young population of remand and first offenders,” said the report.

“Prisoners, family members and prison officers expressed dismay and anger about the introduction of young offenders to opiate use in the prison.”

One male prisoner told researchers: “It depends on how you were introduced to it. I’ve seen hundreds of fellas coming in here that picked up the habit inside here and are now progressing onto needles. They wouldn’t have been taking any drugs whatsoever and people then progress from hash to heroin.”

A female prisoner said: “My brother never touched heroin. He went to jail and is a violent addict. He mixes everything but I have to say that the prison system definitely failed me and my family.”

One prison officer said: “I’ve no doubt there is a lot of prisoners who have been introduced to drugs in here who never took drugs at all on the outside but become junkies in here because they’re put in the wrong place with the wrong people.”

The study said reports from prisoners and prison staff suggest 80% of the prison population had used drugs, rising to as high as 100% for female inmates.

“All groups reported that it was relatively easy to bring drugs into the prison and that sanctions were a minor deterrent in preventing supplies entering the prison,” it said.

Bedford Row chairperson Jim Sheehan said the report presented a “disturbing picture of the depth and gravity of the drug problem within Limerick Prison.”

The report calls for proper assessment of prisoners on entry as to their level of drug use, harm reduction services and access to a drug-free wing.