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Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 23 Jan 1996

Vol. 460 No. 3

Written Answers. - Mountjoy Prison Drugs Problem.

Róisín Shortall

Question:

376 Ms Shortall asked the Minister for Justice if he will give details on the scale of the drugs problem in Mountjoy Prison outlining the number of prisoners who have general drug-related problems and those who have a heroin problem; the precise plans, if any, she has for dealing with this situation; the timescale for implementing these plans; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19182/95]

Due to the covert nature of drug abuse, it is not possible to quantify the scale of this problem in Mountjoy Prison with any degree of certainty. I have, however, readily acknowledged on several occasions since becoming Minister for Justice that a significant proportion, at least 40 per cent, of the committals to Mountjoy Prison from the courts have a background of drug abuse — in many cases a chronic heroin addiction. In order to accurately quantify the extent of this problem and for a number of other reasons, I have recently decided to commission an in-depth study of the Mountjoy Prison population. This will update the detailed 1986 survey in this connection, which is cited in the book Crime and Punishment in Ireland, published in 1993. I intend to put the new study into the public domain, when it is to hand, as a Government publication. This study will, I hope, provide new insights into background and nature of the current prisoner population having regard to a wide range of factors including their criminal, socio-economic, health and other backgrounds. This information will be of considerable assistance in the future management of the prisons and in the refinement and improvement of services for prisoners.

Regarding more immediate steps to deal with the problem of drug abuse in the prisons, I have recently implemented a number of measures in Mountjoy and other prisons. These include, in respect of Mountjoy Prison, the adaptation of the existing visiting arrangements, an improvement in the procedures for searching and the upgrading of video surveillance equipment at the prison. I have, in addition, decided to expand and improve the visiting facilities at the prison. All of these measures will greatly assist staff in intercepting illegal drugs and associated contraband. Already, these new arrangements have resulted in a number of drug seizures and some prosecutions of visitors are pending.
There is also in place, in all of the institutions since last year, a comprehensive integrated education programme aimed at discouraging drug abuse and educating prisoners as to the risks posed both to themselves and their families by the activity. The programme is based on a multi-disciplinary approach utilising the most modern education aids available including the specially commissioned award winning video, "HIV and Aids — The Facts". In order to be effective, treatment for addicts whether in prison or in the community must also include a therapeutic element in order to equip them with the mechanism to avoid becoming reinvolved with drug-abuse in the future.
With this in mind, I have already announced a range of measures which will, when fully implemented, meet this need. These measures include the creation of a drug treatment facility in Mountjoy Prison. This facility will provide prisoners who are suffering from acute drug addiction problems and who show the necessary commitment with an opportunity to avail of a humane detoxification programme on a par with what is available in the community. A methadone maintenance programme for those prisoners assessed as medically suitable for it will also be provided in this facility which is likely to be located at the health care unit in Mountjoy Prison, which is currently being refurbished after a fire.
I have also approved the opening of a drug-free facility in the Mountjoy Prison complex. This will be located at the prison's training unit. Prisoners with a background of drug addiction, including those who successfully complete the detoxification programme and who show the necessary commitment, will be able to benefit from a sympathetic yet closely monitored regime where a specially designed and structured therapy programme will play a key role in their long-term recovery. This facility will also enable the prison authorities to accommodate those prisoners who do not have a background of drug abuse in a totally drug free and secure environment within the prison system.
I am also anxious to put in place a more structured approach for drug abusers in the general prison population, such as the availability of methadone for those already on programmes when they enter prison. However, it is hoped that such people will opt for either of the two new facilities — the treatment unit or the drug-free unit.
These measures, which I am planning to have in place in the next few months, represent a comprehensive and realistic response to the extremely complex problem of drugs and drug abuse in the prisons which, it should be remembered, is unfortunately a direct reflection of what is happening in the community as a whole.
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