Prison officers may strike over fears for their safety

PRISON officers at Mountjoy could strike within weeks over fears for their safety due to the decision to house dangerous prisoners in a separation unit in the facility.

Yesterday, officers stopped work for four hours after the Irish Prison Service (IPS) pressed ahead with plans to return violent criminal Leroy Dumbrell to the prison from Castlerea Prison.

Dumbrell had been transferred to the Roscommon prison from Mountjoy “on punishment” following a violent incident in December 2009. According to the prison service, on completion of that “punishment”, he remained in Castlerea in the Challenging Behaviour Unit “for his own protection”.

However, a High Court ruling this month found Dumbrell had been held in unlawful solitary confinement in Castlerea. Without that ruling, the 24-year-old, serving an eight-year term for assault, faced possible solitary confinement until his sentence ended in 2012.

The IPS said, on foot of the judgment, a decision had been taken to transfer Dumbrell, as a protection prisoner, to the separation unit in Mountjoy. It said it had told the Prison Officers Association (POA) but it had requested the prisoner be placed under a “very restricted regime”.

The IPS said it had full confidence in Mountjoy’s governor to “take all necessary security and operational needs into account” in deciding the suitability of the facility.

However, the prison officers association said by locating dangerous prisoners in the separation unit, the IPS was breaching an agreement on the facility.

“The primary issue of concern to the POA is for the health and safety of our members working at Mountjoy,” it said. “Just last Friday a young prison officer was severely assaulted in Mountjoy, had his face cut open requiring 16 stitches and surgery.”

A prison officer source said locating Dumbrell in the unit was the “thin end of the wedge” and further dangerous prisoners would soon follow. He said the unit was ill-suited in terms of space and manning to house such offenders.

Following yesterday’s unofficial stoppage, during which prisoners had to be locked down, officers returned to work but are to be balloted for strike action over the coming days.