Is the minister getting the message on prisons?

I WONDER if the Minister for Justice, Michael McDowell, listens to anyone but himself.

Does he listen to prison officers when they tell him about overcrowding in Cork Prison?

Does he listen to experts when they tell him rehabilitation of prisoners, and not incarceration, is the answer?

Does he listen to experts who tell him it is counter-productive to place juvenile prison accommodation beside adult accommodation? Does he listen to the residents of Thornton Hall in Co Dublin who say it is unsustainable and at odds with the development plan to build a super prison in the middle of a rural community?

Orla O’Sullivan

The Loft

The Rath Farm

Kilsallaghan

Co Dublin