asked the Minister for Justice the number of prisoners that have been punished by solitary confinement or by dietary restriction during the past year; and if he will make a statement on the content of dietary restriction and the manner in which it is operated.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Treatment in Prisons.
28.
(Cavan): During the past year, 12 prisoners incurred dietary restriction with close confinement—ten for three days, one for two days and one for one day. In six of these instances the punishment was imposed for assaults involving violence to prison officers or to other prisoners. In another three instances the punishment was imposed for a concerted attempt to wreck a section of the prison. In the remaining three instances the punishment was imposed for open defiance of the prison staff.
During the year two prisoners were punished with close confinement without dietary punishment. In each case the confinement was for three days. One of these was punished for assualt and one for persisting with disorderly conduct.
The restricted diet is prescribed in regulations under the statutory rules and consists of a total of 12 ounces of bread, eight ounces of potatoes and water per day.
In order to complete the picture and because some people appear to have erroneous impressions about segregation in Mountjoy Prison, I think I might mention that, while it is often necessary to keep a small number of prisoners segregated in the case of a wing there, the accommodation in the base is comparable to accommodation anywhere else in the prison and the windows are above ground level, with full access to daylight. The number in the base varies from time to time but it is usually between 12 and 15. At the present time five prisoners are in the base because they have good reasons for wanting to be segregated from the rest of the prisoners. A further nine are segregated there in the interests of safe custody and good order. Ordinarily the prisoners segregated there work and associate to the same extent as they would if they were elsewhere in the prison. There are, however, two prisoners who are particularly difficult to control and it is regrettably necessary to have them confined to their cells save when they are on outdoor exercise.