Time for McDowell to heed advice

FORMER High Court judge Dermot Kinlen is well placed to be critical of the manner in which the independent inquiry into the death of Gary Douch in Mountjoy Prison is being conducted.

He is correct in his opinion, expressed in a weekend interview, that an independent inquiry should not be conducted by a former general secretary of the Department of Justice, which Michael Mellett is.

Apart altogether from his experience on the bench, more pertinent is the fact that Justice Kinlen is the current Inspector of Prisons and as such has been persistently critical of the prison system in this country.