Mountjoy should be knocked, says inspector

Mountjoy Jail should be knocked down and replaced, according to the first ever report by the inspector of prisons.

Justice Dermot Kinlen told the Minister for Justice that the condition of buildings there is very poor.

Justice Kinlen also described the drug culture among the prisoners as frightening.

He said the building is in dire need of replacement and the sanitation facilities there are deplorable.

He says it is degrading for prisoners and the staff who work there and the sooner Mountjoy is knocked and rebuilt or sold and replaced the better.

The drug culture there is frightening, he added, and the prisoner's lifestyle is dominated by illegal drugs, smuggling them in, and all the other associated problems.

He said drug programmes must be extended and a drug free area should be introduced in all prisons.

He also said Portlaoise prison and parts of Limerick prison need improvements.