Overcrowed jails in Portlaoise and elsewhere shows prisons are going 'backwards'

Prisons in Portlaoise and other parts of Ireland do not have the capacity to cope with the country's rising general population while the appointment of more judges could put further pressure on jails to cop.

That's the view expressed by Bishop Martin Hayes who is the liaison bishop with prison chaplains after he visited Mountjoy Prison recently to see what he has called the "huge pressure”  the jail is under.

“Prisons are becoming overcrowded resulting in instances of two prisoners occupying one cell, with one lying on the floor on a thin mattress, as I witnessed myself … two prisoners in one cell in effect represents a regression, a step backwards in the care of prisoners,” he said.

He said that all times he is conscious of the victims of crime and, in particular, of those people bereaved by the loss of family or friends due to the actions of convicted criminals. However, he believed prisons should be more than just places of punishment.

"People are sent to prison in the hope that they will mend their ways; that they will be rehabilitated.  However, our prison system, despite the best of intentions, is struggling to achieve rehabilitation for those in custody.  It is in this context that we cannot forget about those who are sent to prison, the men and women who are serving time for crimes that they committed," he said.  

He said Mountjoy Prison is under "huge pressure to cope" with the demands placed upon it.  

"The key message for me was that, while the population of our country has increased, the capacity of our Irish Prison Service - in terms of the total number of available cells - has not.  It means that our prisons are becoming overcrowded resulting in instances of two prisoners occupying one cell, with one prisoner lying on the floor on a thin mattress, as I witnessed myself in Mountjoy.

“Lack of capacity is a priority issue for the management of our prisons which, in turn, is concerned that the appointment of 50 new circuit court judges will result in more committals to prisons.   While facilities for prisoners have been improved, the specific issue of concern for Mountjoy is the limitation on improvement arising from the design of the Victorian premises itself," he said.  

He said the concern shared by chaplains, and Irish Prison Service management, is that progress is being hampered by overcrowding.

"Two prisoners in one cell in effect represents a regression, a step backwards in the care of prisoners," he said.

He was also worried about the prospects that prisoners can change in overcrowded jails.

“The prison system is under real pressure to provide rehabilitation.  My conversations revealed that, despite the best efforts of management and education personnel involved, the prison system is unable to rehabilitate prisoners and prepare them for re-entry to the world.  

"Prisoners spoke to me of finding it hard putting in time as they cannot avail of education classes.  In speaking with an ‘enhanced’ prisoner - who has been afforded more work duties for good behaviour - he stated that the chaotic nature of prison life does not enable rehabilitation or promote respect for the law, in preparation for life outside prison," he said.

 Bishop Hayes concluded by talking about the problem of drugs in jail.

“Another challenge is the ease with which drugs can be delivered into the prison.  As Mountjoy is a prison in a city, drugs can literally be catapulted into the grounds thus increasing their ‘market’ value.  Drugs are sought to cope with prison life and, of course, they hinder rehabilitation efforts.

Big expansion of Portlaoise's Midlands Prison floated by Government

“While the role of prison is to punish those who commit crime, I feel strongly that we have a responsibility to uphold the human dignity of those held in our prisons.  It is absolutely in the interest of the common good that we do what we can for prisoners so as to help them return to society as a neighbour who, thereby, can make a positive contribution to our communities.  If a person sent to prison feels forgotten and abandoned by society, the likelihood is that she or he will return to society angry and liable to return to a life of crime,” he said.

Former Justice Minister wants costly new prison plan dusted off

The Minister for Justice announced at the Irish Prison Officer Association conference the expansion of prisons including the building of a new wing at the Midlands Prison in Portlaoise which is less than 25 years old. The jail has already had a new wing opened to create more  prison spaces.