Prisoner warned jail he would kill himself

A prisoner who repeatedly asked to be moved to a psychiatric facility so he would not kill himself was later found hanging in his cell.

The 25-year-old father of three from Co Cork died in Cork Prison on May 10 last year in an isolated unit which the Inspector of Prisons said should never house vulnerable prisoners.

The inspector, Judge Michael Reilly, said he had long had concerns about the unit. “On many of my visits over the years cells were filthy and cold,” he said. “Prisoners in this unit rarely interact with other prisoners and, for the most part, have nothing to do and are locked up for up to 23 hours a day. This is a forbidding place for vulnerable prisoners. It is not fit for purpose even for prisoners on punishment, but it should certainly not be used for vulnerable prisoners.”