Prison security - Cuts must not endanger inmates

The murder in Mountjoy prison this week raises serious issues about security in our prisons, especially given the current industrial unrest among prison officers. Prison authorities justifiably claim that such murders are rare in Irish prisons, and it is important that this should remain so.

This was only the second prison murder in living memory, but the other was in 2000. It is to be hoped that this is not the start of a trend.

The State is ultimately responsible for the welfare of prisoners. The economies introduced should not leave prisoners vulnerable to attacks, or contribute to the even more disconcerting implications of attempted suicides in prison.

In 2002, the last year for which complete figures are available, 107 prisoners attempted suicide on 144 different occasions. The number of incidences in the most modern prisons is a particularly disturbing aspect of those figures.

The highest number of attempted suicides was recorded at the Dóchas Centre, the female prison adjacent to Mountjoy, while the second highest figure was recorded at the Midlands Prison, which was opened in 2000.

Prisoners under the age of 40 were involved in some 95% of suicide attempts. Despite its low age profile, however, Fort Mitchell on Spike Island had the second lowest incidence of attempted suicide. Justice Minister Michael McDowell has decided to close Fort Mitchell as part of his economy drive.

All concerned should recognise that economising at the expense of security is ultimately likely to be a false economy.