I have had cause on several occasions to raise my concerns as to the management of our major committal prison, Mountjoy. I thought we had heard it all in relation to well-known criticisms of our detention system and, in particular, Mountjoy. We know there are over 1,000 prisoners unlawfully at large, that 4,000 prisoners are released early on so-called temporary release just to make space, that thousands of pounds in compensation has been paid out to the victims of serious crimes committed by people out on temporary release, that a young man charged with a serious sexual offence, on a mobility trip to the cinema, was able to escape from custody, that people sent to jail for some of the most serious crimes are able to nip down to the pub from an open prison, that 197 persons have absconded from our open prisons this year, 55 of whom are still at large. Such a catalogue of disasters has warranted the bringing of our detention system into serious disrepute.
One can imagine my surprise when I learnt that Mountjoy Prison would be used as a public concert venue for five evenings from 15 to 21 November. One of the main exercise yards in the prison will be used to stage a production of "West Side Story". The show will be open to the paying public and tickets are on sale in retail outlets at prices of up to £25 per performance. There is a reasonable case to be made under ideal and agreed conditions of security for providing some occasional entertainment for prison inmates but there must be serious questions as to whether such entertainment should be open to the public by the purchase by way of credit card of tickets sold in a retail outlet and as to whether Mountjoy is an appropriate venue for such a public event. In previous times I understand there was a strict selection process by way of invited guest lists which would be scrutinised by the Department of Justice, but I understand from the Prison Officers Association that this is an unprecedented departure from the normal safety and security arrangements for such events in the prison.
Mountjoy is no ordinary penal institution. It has been described by its own visiting committee as a potential volcano. It is a prison by all accounts in a state of permanent crisis. It has a serious drugs problem, both of the hard and soft variety. A significant number of inmates are HIV positive or suffering from full-blown AIDS. There are concerns at all times about security in Mountjoy. This year there have been nine escapes from security prisons and almost all of these have been from Mountjoy.
I ask the Minister for Justice how anyone could consider such a place as a suitable venue for the staging of a musical in these conditions. On whose initiative is this show being staged at the prison? Was the Minister involved in the decision to approve this? Has there been adequate or, indeed, any consultation with the prison officers in Mountjoy in relation to putting on this event? Has the security risk been fully assessed? Could the State be liable for substantial damages in the event of a paying member of the public being attacked or injured at this performance?
Our whole prison system is in crisis. Public confidence as to the management of the system has all but evaporated, yet the Minister presides over all these matters without a blush. It should be the Minister's priority to inject some strategic and accountable structures of management into our prison service rather than inviting trouble by becoming involved in an event such as this.
