Vol. 440 No. 2
28 Ms McManus asked the Minister for Justice the investigation, if any, that has been held into the circumstances of disturbances in Mountjoy Women's Prison on 11 February 1994; if any attempts have been made to identify and address the grievances of the prisoners which led to the disturbance; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
Serious disturbances in prisons are very much the exception rather than the rule. This is due to the combined effect of professionalism on the part of prison staff and, let it be said also, the general common sense appreciation on the part of the vast majority of offenders that the difficulties and misunderstandings which arise from time to time in all prisons are best resolved by discussion.
I have received a full report on the circumstances which arose in the Women's Prison in Mountjoy on 11 February. I think the better course, now, would be to confine myself to making just three points. The first is that a situation which had the potential to cause injury and distress to offenders and staff alike was brought to a conclusion without injury to either. Second, it is standard practice, following a disturbance, to examine all of the circumstances which gave rise to the incident and to take any lessons that may have emerged fully on board. Third, it would be wrong to leave unchallenged the implication in the Deputy's questions that there are issues — or that there were issues in this instance — which could or would not be addressed without resort to a disruption of good order in the prison. Matters that cause concern to offenders are resolved day in day out by means of discussion and that is as it should be.
