Indulging terrorists - Jail privileges unacceptable

THIS week’s Prison Officers’ Association (POA) conference in Castlebar should make anyone who still cares for this country sit up and take notice.

Early this week we were told of crime bosses running their illegal empires from their prison cells. Recent murders in Limerick underline the threat posed to this society by this practice.

Yesterday we were told of the fantasy world of the “paramilitaries” in our prisons. We were told that paramilitary murals, military drills, lax drug checks, blinkered security cameras and order-in steaks are part of a privileged regime for dissident republican inmates in Portlaoise Prison. Prison boss Brian Purcell confirmed that such indulgences existed he contended that there were “historical and valid” reasons for them.