The Irish Penal Reform Trust has said that overcrowding in prisons is making it more difficult for inmates to tackle addiction problems.
Prisons are “overstretched” at present with a record number of people incarcerated and the penal system operating at 112 per cent capacity, the trust’s executive director Saoirse Brady told RTÉ radio’s Morning Ireland.
Portlaoise prison, where 10 men were hospitalised on Tuesday following suspected drug overdoses, was operating at 107 per cent capacity this week, she said.
“That means that people are doubling and tripling up in cells. They may be sleeping on mattresses or beside the toilet. So there’s huge pressure on our prison system at the moment,” Ms Brady said.
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“Prison is inherently a traumatic experience for anyone. But with the overcrowding levels at the moment, it is even more traumatic.”
She said there are 2,000 people on mental health waiting lists within the prison system.
Many people who leave prison return shortly afterwards “because they’re falling into the same pattern over and over again”, she said, adding that if there were more resources to treat addiction or mental health issue in the community, “people may not reach crisis point”.
Ms Brady said prisons were a microcosm of society. “All the things that lead to drug use and substance misuse outside of prison, are amplified within the prison system because obviously you have a situation where you don’t really have any outlets as well.
[ Ten prisoners hospitalised after suspected drug overdoses at Portlaoise PrisonOpens in new window ]
“When you have an overcrowding situation, the first thing that is closed is the gym, prison schools are closed. Those are outlets for people, to be able to focus on something else to direct their life in a different way. But if you have those closures, coupled with the lack of supports that are in place it is very difficult for them to maybe move on from their addiction.”
Ms Brady pointed out that there had been recommendations from the Office of the Inspector of Prisons recently following a death in prison earlier this year, but prison authorities had said that they could only accept recommendations that were operationally feasible.
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