A report into addiction treatment at Limerick Prison paints a disturbing picture of the drug problem there, a charity that supports families of prisoners said today.
A report into addiction treatment at Limerick Prison paints a disturbing picture of the drug problem there, a charity that supports families of prisoners said today.
The study was commissioned by the Limerick-based Bedford Row Family Project and conducted by DCU researchers.
They found no officially recorded figures on the extent of illicit drug use in Limerick prison, but reports from inmates and staff indicated that 80 per cent of the prison population have used drugs in prison.
Many staff interviewed believed prisoners had easy access to illicit drugs and prisoners reported these drugs being available in all prison wings, with heroin, cannabis and prescription drugs most often mentioned.
All groups said it was relatively easy to bring drugs into the prison and that sanctions were a minor deterrent. Researchers found cannabis use in Limerick Prison seemed to be tolerated by most groups but that heroin use was regarded as quite a new phenomenon in Limerick.
The report found access to treatment in prison was sporadic, and that prisoners and prison staff found it difficult to identify services. A lack of co-ordinated approach between release from prison and engagement with addiction services was also identified.
Jim Sheehan, chairman of the Bedford Row Family Project, said: "It is disturbing in the picture it presents of the depth and gravity of the drug problem within Limerick Prison and of the sense of despair this can and has generated within the prison community as a whole.”
The report makes 17 recommendations designed to assist the HSE, the Irish Prison Service and other agencies in providing drug treatment.
