A YOUNG male prisoner has attempted suicide in the newly opened prison in Castlerea, Co Roscommon, the prison governor has confirmed.
Mr Dan Scannell said the prisoner, who is in his 20s, tried to hang himself using a crepe blanket from the top rail of a bunk bed.
The attempt took place a month ago and was discovered in time by prison staff. The prisoner has since received psychiatric treatment.
"Thankfully, we were successful in intercepting that attempt. I am glad to say he is fit and well again and hopefully will be returning to this institution in the near future," he said.
Mr Scannell said the incident was a disappointment to staff, who were trying to create an atmosphere of rehabilitation and normality in Castlerea, in line with the prison's Scandinavian ethos.
"We involve the Samaritans quite a lot in the work we do. We're extending that involvement to what we call a listener scheme. That listener scheme will be where we will train prisoners in the work of the Samaritans and they will be available to talk to their fellow prisoners at any hour of the day or night.
"They will also have full access to the Samaritans, we will have a hotline to the Samaritans if they want to talk to them. We ourselves, as prison staff, do a lot of Samaritan-type work insofar as we listen to the prisoners, we talk to them, we watch their behaviour and we try and do what we can for them."
The prison houses 25 low-risk prisoners at present, many of whom are serving the last days of their sentences in an environment designed to reflect life outside.
They are not housed in cells but in rooms in individual houses, and enjoy a greater degree of independence than is the norm in prisons.
The first prisoners arrived at Castlerea on December 23rd last. When in full operation the low security unit will house 40 inmates. Work on a new £43 million high-security prison is proceeding on land adjoining the unit.
The original plan, conceived during the IRA ceasefire, was that republican prisoners would be moved to the low-security unit if the ceasefire held. That plan has been abandoned.
The present complement of prisoners includes some wealthy farmers and a vet who have been convicted of offences involving illegal growth promoters, as well as a range of prisoners who are near the end of their sentences and who have been moved from other institutions. Four life prisoners are also detained at Castlerea.