Two of the persons referred to by the Deputy were transferred to Castlerea Prison last December with a group of Provisional IRA prisoners. The third prisoner was transferred to Castlerea after his conviction in February.
At Castlerea hospital, prior to its conversion to prison use, there were some conventional houses as well as the main hospital block. Very broadly, what happened was that a wall was built around the whole compound, the main hospital was converted to a modern prison, with all the usual facilities and, rather than demolish the perfectly sound houses, it was decided – wisely, in my view – to preserve them for use as prison accommodation, separate from but nevertheless within the general prison compound. It was seen as an area in which a small group of prisoners could be held together, if it was judged advantageous in prison management terms to do so.
The Provisional IRA group of prisoners share this area with 14 non-subversive prisoners. Both groups have equal access to facilities, their regimes are identical and there is no question of special facilities and privileges being accorded to any one group.
It was the intention in 1996 that some subversive prisoners from Portlaoise Prison would be transferred to this area in the Castlerea compound. However, the breakdown of the first IRA ceasefire saw this proposal shelved for valid operational reasons. The decision to transfer the Provisional IRA group to Castlerea last December reflected ongoing advances in the peace process.
Some of the descriptions of the accommodation in this area give a misleading impression of luxury and tend to ignore the reality that inmates there, as elsewhere in the prison system, are behind prison walls and in secure custody. Prisoners have access to kitchens in the houses where they prepare their meals or may avail of a communal kitchen and dining area. This is not unusual in the Irish prison context. Virtually all food consumed in our prisons is prepared substantially by prisoners themselves, albeit with considerable staff supervision in the larger units. Each prisoner held in the area referred to by the Deputy may also have access to a card telephone which they use at their own expense.
Each house within the area is self-contained with a kitchen, bathroom and sitting room. Other facilities, separate from the houses, include a visiting unit, a large kitchen and dining hall, a recreation hall and gym, an education unit and workshops and an outdoor recreation area.
There is merit, within any prison system, in having the opportunity of employing and testing different regime options and I would see this particular area and regime option maintaining its place within the system in the longer term.
The transfer to Castlerea of the prisoners referred to by Deputy Higgins, that is, those convicted in connection with the death of Josie Dwyer, has no early release implications whatsoever. These prisoners are not covered by the Good Friday Agreement.