Written Answers. - Prison Accommodation.
Billy Timmins
Question:
393
Mr. Timmins
asked the
Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform
the situation with respect to Shanganagh Prison; if it is to be sold; the relocation plans there are for the staff; his proposals to accommodate young offenders; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[25821/02]
Shanganagh Castle was opened in 1969 as an open detention centre for males aged between 16 and 21 years of age. The centre, which stands on grounds of 24 acres, has accommodation for 60 inmates in dormitory style accommodation. However, it has been increasingly difficult to identify young male offenders suitable for this type of open prison accommodation. Shanganagh Castle had an average offender occupancy of 30 inmates last year and this has fallen again this year, with only 12 inmates being detained there at present. In addition, the full implementation of the provisions of the Children Act, 2001, will mean that 16 and 17 years old inmates must be completely segregated in the prison system, resulting in a further drop in those offenders who might be found suitable for transfer to Shanganagh Castle.
In view of the very considerable decline in the number of young offenders found suitable for transfer to Shanganagh Castle in recent years, the Irish Prisons Service established a group to examine the options for its continued use a detention centre. While the report of the group identified an increase in the upper age limit of offenders as one option, it also recognised that: if none of the recommended options was considered viable then, as the current regime at Shanganagh Castle cannot be justified on operational or financial grounds, the closure of the castle and the subsequent disposal of the site will have to be considered.
I recognise the important service that Shanganagh Castle and its staff have given to the prison system, in particular in terms of dealing with juvenile offenders, over the years. However, having carefully considered this report, its current viability and the options available for its future use, it is my intention to close the centre in order to contribute to the control of costs in the prison service, to make more effective use of prison service staffing and other resources and to release funds through the sale of Shanganagh Castle to be used, subject to the agreement of the Minister for Finance, for other more productive prison-related purposes.
The closure and sale of Shanganagh Castle is not a decision that I have taken lightly, but it is a decision aimed at positive reinvestment in the prisons and at maximising the use of resources available to the prison service for the benefit of the offenders who are placed in their care.
The Irish Prisons Service has contacted the Prison Officers' Association, as the representative body concerned, to discuss the arrangements for the deployment of staff from Shanganagh Castle. It is intended that the majority of serving staff will be offered an early transfer to one of the Irish Prisons Service's other institutions where a need arises. Some staff will be retained in Shanganagh Castle to assist in the closure of the institution. All staff will be afforded an opportunity to indicate, in order of preference, the institutions to which they would ultimately prefer to transfer. While this process will inform management of the preferences of staff, unfortunately, it may not be possible to accommodate staff preferences in the shortterm and an assignment elsewhere may be involved. In such cases, staff preferences will continue to receive consideration in the context of existing transfer agreements.
The small number of inmates currently in Shanganagh Castle can be accommodated elsewhere in the prison system, in particular, in St. Patrick's Institution. This institution, which currently houses offenders in the same age category as Shanganagh Castle, has introduced important new programmes over the past two years for the rehabilitation of offenders, including a positive sentence management programme.
In addition, a successful drug-free wing with 76 spaces has been in operation in St. Patrick's since November 2000. This wing allows inmates who do not have a background of drug abuse, or those who have demonstrated a desire to stop taking drugs, to be detained in a drug-free and secure environment. I would like to bring to the Deputy's attention that a study conducted by the Euro pean conference on drugs and HIV-AIDS services in prisons indicated that St. Patrick's Institution was an example of best practice in the area of drug policy in establishments of its type.
