‘Assess prisoners before early release’
The inmate, aged 30, was released from Limerick Prison on 23 July 2014. He was found dead from a suspected overdose on August 5 in a church yard.
In his investigation, prisons inspector Judge Michael Reilly concluded that a full assessment of the man’s suitability for temporary release was “not carried out” prior to his release.
Mr Reilly said this was the second time the prisoner was given temporary release. It came five weeks after he failed to comply with the conditions of his first release and was returned to Limerick Prison.
The judge said prison authorities informed him that one of the reasons for his release a second time was overcrowding and the lack of alternative spaces in either Cork or Midlands prisons.
Mr Reilly said there were 242 male prison in custody in Limerick Prison on the day of his second release — a prison that has space for 185 people according to the inspector, and 220, according to the Prison Service.
The inspector said the man’s mother, as well as his sister and aunt, expressed concerns regarding the circumstances of his release and death. The inspector said the man had a “significant history of substance misuse” and had spent numerous spells in jail.
He was committed to Limerick Prison on October 11, 2012, and his release date was August 11, 2014 — just six days after he was found dead.
The inspector’s report said that the man was given temporary release on January 27, 2014, as part of the Community Return Scheme, a supervised programme. The man did not abide by the terms of his release and was returned to Limerick Prison by gardaí on June 17.
The deceased’s mother said that, around the middle of July, she got a phone call from someone in Limerick Prison who asked her if she would take in her son for a while until he “got on his feet”. She told the judge that she was reluctant to do so, but agreed.
Her son arrived on July 23, but after a couple of days disappeared. He came back again under the influence of drugs, then left again. He was found in a church yard of his local town. He was dead between one and four days and his body was in a state of decomposition.
The judge said that during his terms of imprisonment the deceased had “little engagement” with psychological, psychiatric or therapeutic services to enable him deal with his addiction problems.
The lack of engagement was on the deceased’s part, the report said.
The report said the man was an “enhanced level prisoner” and was not considered a security risk within the prison. He was well thought of by prison officers and fellow prisoners and worked as a cleaner.
An appropriate assessment was carried out for his first release — but not for his second, according to the report.
Prison authorities told the judge that, as well as overcrowding at the prison, the fact that the man was less than a month away from his release date, was a factor in renewing his temporary release.
“A comprehensive assessment was not carried out on the deceased prior to his release on 23 July, 2014,” the judge said. In his recommendation, such an assessment “must be undertaken” prior to release.
