Sir, - You report Mr Justice Carney's view that the State bears some responsibility for the sexual assault of a prisoner by his cellmate (The Irish Times, January 16th). This awful event took place when a vulnerable petty offender who sought protection was placed in a cell with a convicted killer.
Single-cell accommodation should be the norm for all prisoners. In this regard it is a matter of some concern that in the remand prison due to open this year at Cloverhill, small triple cells (less than 11 square metres in area) will be standard. Cramped conditions will be an integral part of life in this institution. Our prisons should be designed as safe and rehabilitative environments where the risks posed by damaged, and sometimes dangerous, individuals can be addressed. It is crucial that the rush to build additional prison spaces does not deflect us from this mission. - Yours etc., Dr Ian O'Donnell,
Director, Irish Penal Reform Trust, Lower Dominick Street, Dublin 1.