What the visiting committees said in 2004
St Patrick's Institution, Dublin
The workshops in the prison closed in 2004 due to health and safety concerns. Cutbacks at times forced the closure of the gym and library.
The committee noted the mooted closure of the open prisons of Loughan House in Co Cavan and Shelton Abbey in Co Wicklow would result in St Patrick's inmates - all of whom are aged between 16 and 21 - no longer having a more relaxed environment to be transferred to in preparation for their release.
The Connect rehabilitative programme would not run in St Patrick's because of financial constraints. This was "very concerning".
Mountjoy Prison, Dublin
Cutbacks had resulted in significant changes to the running of the prison.
Evening classes had been "completely cut off" and the VEC had been unable to maintain its full programme of courses. The prison's drama project had been discontinued. Instructors at workshops had been redeployed forcing the closure of such workshops. As a result of this, "relationships with outside agencies such as Fás, which took years to build up are now gone because certain standards cannot be met".
Dóchas Centre, Mountjoy women's prison Overcrowding continued to be a problem. There was no psychologist visiting the prison. The committee noted that a drug counsellor must be appointed to treat inmates who were administered prescription drugs by the prison as treatment for their illicit drugs habit. It was not enough to simply administer these drugs and offer no further treatment. Inmates needed to be treated, not only for drug abuse, but also for "sexual problems and psychological problems".
Cork Prison
Serious overcrowding continued with the prison regularly holding 280 inmates despite having been designed to hold 150. Because there was no in-cell sanitation the overcrowding had resulted in a very unhygienic environment.
This was to be relieved by the construction of a new wing, but funding for this project had been "withdrawn and transferred elsewhere".
The prison's psychologist had been on sick leave since last summer but had not been replaced.
Castlerea Prison, Roscommon Overcrowding was placing an "enormous strain" on resources and was creating difficulties for staff. The remand wing had a capacity of 20 inmates but up to 35 were regularly detained there. A new wing should be built in order that remand and conviction prisoners did not have to mix.
Midlands Prison, Portlaoise
There was no sex offender treatment programme in the prison which was "disconcerting" given the high number of such inmates at the jail.
Additional sex offenders had been transferred to the prison from the Curragh Place of Detention since that institution's closure last year. The probation and welfare services were "grossly" understaffed. Psychiatric and psychological care remained "sadly lacking".
Shelton Abbey, Co Wicklow
There was no psychologist available. The prison's farm, where inmates have traditionally worked, had now been rented out.