Vol. 492 No. 4
305 Ms Fitzgerald asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if a custodial treatment centre for drug offenders has been established; and, if not, if it is proposed to establish a centre in this regard. [14389/98]
Most of our prisons and places of detention are relatively drug free. The vast majority of drug addicted offenders are in institutions in the Dublin area, in particular, in Mountjoy Prison. Treatment facilities are available there.
The drug treatment facility in Mountjoy has been in operation since July 1996 at the prison's health care unit. This facility provides chemical detoxification and a therapy programme. This unit is the first of its kind in a prison environment in this State and it is modelled on similar hospital based units in the community.
My Department is currently reviewing the operation of the Mountjoy drug treatment facility and the drug free unit at the training unit and is examining the feasibility of further expanding the range of treatment options available for such prisoners. The intention would be to have similar facilities available to all the closed institutions once the need for them has been established.
Progress in this area is hampered, however, by the present overcrowding problem in our prisons but, as the Deputy will know, I am addressing this problem vigorously.
