Jim Mitchell
Question:16 Mr. J. Mitchell asked the Minister for Justice the way in which the regime for prisoners sentenced by the special criminal court and serving sentences in Portlaoise Prison differs from that in other penal institutions.
Written Answers. - Prison Regime.
As the Deputy will appreciate, the prisoners concerned, who were dealt with in the Special Criminal Court, have been convicted of very serious offences, many of them having a subversive motivation. The main difference in the regime for those prisoners, compared to prisoners in other closed institutions, lies in the high level of security which applies to them. They are also subject to more stringent conditions in regard to occasional paroles and early releases. As an offset to the stringency of security requirements they are allowed a measure of freedom in relation to choice of activities within the cell-block which may not apply in other closed institutions but the differences are relatively minor.