Cutbacks across the prison system have forced the closure of education and rehabilitation facilities in already overcrowded institutions beset with drug addiction, a series of new reports obtained by The Irish Times reveals. Conor Lally reports
One report contains a warning that inmates still addicted to drugs when released from prison might seek compensation in the future if prison rehabilitation services are not improved now.
Others point to the unpreparedness of the prison system to deal with mentally ill inmates. These warnings were contained in prison visiting committee reports submitted to Minister for Justice Michael McDowell almost eight months ago. Just over two weeks ago a mentally ill inmate murdered another prisoner at Mountjoy Prison, Dublin.
The reports support many of the complaints around cost-cutting raised by the Prison Officers' Association (POA) in the wake of a recent outbreak of violence at Mountjoy, which included the murder of Gary Douch and three stabbings.
The emergence of the reports, which were obtained by The Irish Times under the Freedom of Information Act, come at a difficult time for Irish Prison Service director general Brian Purcell.
He recently moved to contradict the POA's statements about overcrowding and the impact of cutbacks on conditions in jails.
The row resulted in prison officers at Mountjoy last week voting to ballot for industrial action. They said overcrowding and the closure of services for inmates had heightened tensions to such an extent that their safety was being compromised.
Many services have been closed because prisons are operating on restricted budgets as part of Government efforts to halve the €63 million prison officer annual overtime bill.
The visiting committee report on Mountjoy described as "deplorable" the practice in the jail of sleeping prisoners on mattresses on cell floors. It said overcrowding was an almost constant issue and that drug-related bullying was rife. It identified an "urgent" need for extra staffing,
Two weeks ago Mr Douch (21), from Tallaght in Dublin, was beaten and strangled to death while sleeping on the floor of a protection cell with six other inmates.
The man who killed him, a 23-year-old from Coolock, Dublin, has a history of mental illness and violence. He was only housed in the protection cell because overcrowding meant there was no room for him elsewhere in the prison.
The Mountjoy visiting committee said cost cutting had resulted in the closure or significant curtailment of library opening hours, evening classes and workshops.
The same report described Mountjoy as the "biggest methadone clinic in the country" but noted that drugs were easily accessible there. Reports from some of the other prison committees also complain about overcrowding, poor living accommodation, poor or non-existent psychiatric services and outbreaks of violence.
In Arbour Hill, Dublin, it took 19 days to get a place for an inmate at the Central Mental Hospital following a suicide attempt. Very few of the prison's sex offenders were taking part in treatment programmes.
At St Patrick's Institution for young offenders, Dublin, the lack of segregation means children aged under 18 are being housed with 21-year-olds. Workshops closed in January 2004 remain closed and staff shortages continue.
The committee at Castlerea Prison, Co Roscommon, said the committal of mentally ill inmates posed a risk to prisoners and staff. In Portlaoise Prison a block condemned 40 years ago as being unfit to house inmates is still in use.
At Cloverhill Prison, Dublin, a new education unit had been completed by the start of last year but 12 months later had not been opened.