The Coalition Government is failing in its responsibility to operate a humane and effective prison system. That is the only conclusion that can be reached on foot of a report by our first Inspector of Prisons, Mr Justice Dermot Kinlen.
The former High Court judge found evidence of chronic overcrowding and violence at Mountjoy Prison earlier this month, when he was invited to attend by prison officers. In his report, he complained of the Government's failure to act on recommendations he had made last year. And he clearly felt his office was being ignored and marginalised by the authorities concerned.
The fact that prison officers alerted the inspector to the situation at Mountjoy is beside the point. What matters is the way our prisons are being run. At the moment, the Minister for Justice, Mr McDowell, is attempting to cut the cost of overtime within the prison system from €64 to €32 million a year. That is both understandable and desirable. Some basic grade officers can earn more than €100,000 a year. But as talks with the Prison Officers' Association fail to make progress, places of detention are being closed and the prisoners' conditions are deteriorating.
Mr McDowell said yesterday that savings made through a reduction in overtime would help to fund the reconstruction of Mountjoy as a modern prison on a greenfield site and provide better conditions for the inmates. That is a worthy, if simplistic, notion. Cutting the cost of overtime will not automatically translate into better prison conditions. And the kind of reforms Mr Justice Kinlen believes are essential may still be ignored. Last July, the Inspector of Prisons complained about the top-heavy and inefficient nature of the prisons' administration system and said very little money was being devoted to the needs of prisoners.
That has not changed. For many young people, prison is a destructive experience, offering a finishing school in criminality and an introduction to drugs. Having spent €1,300 a week to keep such young people locked up, the State releases them without any accommodation arrangements or a structured source of income and frequently as drug-users. In spite of a 2 per cent decline in the incidence of serious crime last year, the trend of recent years is still upwards. And recidivism is a major issue.
The outspoken criticism of the prison system by Mr Justice Kinlen attracted an unworthy response. He was frozen out. In his latest report, the inspector complained of a lack of action on his recommendations and signed the document: "Inspector of Prisons and Places of Detention, without any statutory authority or powers." The inspector should not be treated in this fashion. His appointment was intended to signal a break with the bad old days. And his willingness to challenge the prison service will be a valuable component in any future reforms.