Officers need to be more realistic

FOLLOWING the failure of talks with the Prison Officers Association (POA), Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform Michael McDowell has announced contingency plans for the mothballing of two prisons — Fort Mitchell on Spike Island and the Curragh Place of Detention — as well as the closure of two other prisons, Shelton Abbey and Loughan House, both of which are due to be privatised.

The prison officers and prisoners in these institutions will be transferred to other prisons during January and February, which leaves a small window of opportunity for resolving the outstanding issues.

However, the minister has indicated that there is a considerable gap between the two sides, as the POA demands are in breach of public pay policy and the terms of the Sustaining Progress partnership agreement.

Mr McDowell has also announced that the prison escort service will be privatised from July 2004. These changes are likely to have a fundamental impact.

The Labour Relations Commission (LRC) failed to make a breakthrough earlier this week in attempts to cut the Prison Service’s annual overtime bill of €60 million, which Mr McDowell depicted as “cannibalising” funds allocated for major building and refurbishment programmes in prisons.

Talks between both sides are not due to resume until January 12.

Although the LRC called on both sides in the dispute to reconsider their positions, the minister has not been prepared to wait any longer, having warned some months ago that the situation had to be resolved by the end of 2003.

For years the revolving door syndrome in our prisons was explained on the basis of a lack of space, but suddenly people are being told that we can do without up to four prisons.

At the same time, the public is confronted with the absurd spectacle of reports that prison authorities do not know who is on the run.

Some people have been on escape lists since the 1980s even though they are in jail in other jurisdictions, or even deceased.

A considerable number of purported escapees are believed not to have escaped at all and others are already in prison under different names, or have different dates of birth.

More were released after court appearances during which they were given bail and some should not be on the escape list because they were released having completed their sentences.

Mr McDowell inherited a mess. Prison visiting committees are supposed to monitor conditions in jails, but the system is a joke. The Inspector of Prisons denounced this last year.

In the face of this whole unseemly mess, the minister has had the guts to take on the unenviable task of implementing much-needed reform.

His options would be better if the POA adopted a more realistic approach. There is still time, but it is running out fast.