The Minister for Justice showed new padded cells in Cloverhill Remand Prison to journalists yesterday, to show that the Irish prison service was moving to meet international standards.
This followed criticisms last week from the Human Rights Commission about the continuing failure to address concerns about the use of padded cells. These were first raised by the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture 13 years ago, and repeated on a number of occasions since.
"Shortly after I was appointed as Minister I toured the prisons and saw the padded cells," Mr McDowell said. "I made a public commitment that padded cells would be phased out. We are doing that with the building of isolation cells that are up to international standards. They have elevated beds, in-cell sanitation and the atmosphere is improved."
Asked why padded cells still existed, he said: "Padded cells are necessary on occasion to stop people harming themselves, people having psychotic episodes."
Earlier, journalists were shown an old-style padded cell in Wheatfield Prison, which is more than twice the size of similar cells in Mountjoy. It measured about 10 feet by about 11 feet, and walls, door and floors were covered with slightly spongy plasticised material, in a mid-green colour.
The light came from a window in the ceiling. It contained nothing but a small plastic-covered mattress on the floor and a metal chamber pot.
The new cells in Cloverhill were of two types, a "close supervision cell" with a stone bed-base (known as a bed-stone) and a metal toilet and washbasin. It had a television high on the wall, behind glass, and a blanket and gown made from fire-retardant material. Such cells are used as a step-down unit from the padded cells.
The padded cell was covered in material described as "gold marble", which was of an unobtrusive cream colour.
Again, there was an elevated bed-stone, a mattress and blankets and a gown in the special material. The door was made of glass, with a mid panel, about 2 ft deep, covered in the same material as the walls. This allows prison officers to see into the cell; the prisoner too can see out into the entrance area.
Like the close supervision cell, this too had a basin, with sensor taps, an automatically flushing toilet and a television.
It also had a window, so that the prisoner could look out, regulate his own ventilation. It also had a blind between two layers of glass that the prisoner could regulate himself.
Between 10 and 15 such cells will be built in the prison system, at a cost of about €1.5 million.