Inspector of Prisons hits out at ‘abuse of powers’, drug use and bullying in new report

The Inspector of Prisons has criticised the abuse of powers by prison officers, bullying among inmates, and the “grave” prevalence of drugs in jails. 

The Inspector of Prisons’ Annual Report for 2013/14 also criticised the “continued accommodation of a small cohort of 17-year-old remand children in St Patrick’s [Institute for Young Offenders]” and overcrowding, particularly in the Dochas women’s prison.

Responding, Minister for Justice Frances Fitzgerald reiterated that St Patrick’s will close this year and that inmates will be transferred to the new detention facility in Oberstown.