Seanad Éireann debate -
Thursday, 15 Feb 2001

Vol. 165 No. 4

Adjournment Matters. - Prison Escorts.

Mr. Cosgrave

I am disappointed the Minister is not present. That is not a reflection on the Minister of State, Deputy Moffatt, who I hope will relay my thoughts and concerns on the matter I raise. If he cannot reply fully, perhaps he will pass on my remarks so that they are communicated to the right offices.

I thank the Cathaoirleach for allowing me raise the matter of the transport of prisoners. Over the past six to 12 months we have witnessed a range of incidents, one of which led to the well-being of a prison officer being put at risk. That occurred on 24 January last when a prisoner, being escorted by three prison officers from Cloverhill Prison to Cork Prison, placed a syringe to the neck of the prison officer to whom he was handcuffed and forced the other officers to unlock his handcuffs. One could probably ask where the syringe came from, but one could also ask whether the prisoner should have been restrained more securely, or isolated.

There is also the practice of prisoners being escorted by taxi. One must ask if this is a suitable mode of transport for any prisoner with a violent reputation or charged with a serious offence, having regard to various factors. It would be appropriate for an elderly prisoner spending a day or two in prison for failing to pay his or her television licence or for non-payment of a fine. There must be a case for certain basic measures to be taken during the transportation of prisoners convicted of a violent offence or a drugs offence, where there is a possibility that he or she is likely to try to escape or inflict violence on a prison officer or, if they escape, on a member of the public.

We saw earlier this month where a prison van was attacked. The prisoner in question had a history of offences. It behoves us to ensure prison officers run prisons and, where prisoners are escorted to and from court or from one prison to another, that the prison authorities are in charge. That does not appear to be the case at present. While I understand that the Minister, in conjunction with the authorities, has ordered a review, I hope it will not just be a rubber stamp job because it appears a root and branch review is needed, with some of the current practices dispensed with immediately. They allow for the possibility of escape with the potential risk that poses to the community. There is no point in gardaí or prison officers saying they thought a prisoner would not try to escape because he had not tried before. People serving time for certain offences must be dealt with in a certain way. The public demands that.

There have been other cases where prisoners have escaped. We are aware of what happened in the Central Mental Hospital in Dundrum. We are also aware of a prisoner released for a driving lesson who decided not to return and of other similar cases of people on temporary release. While they are not related to the matter I raise, it behoves the Minister and the authorities to do something.

Will the Minister of State relay to the Minister my belief that what has happened is not good enough? We are fortunate that prison officers were not seriously injured in this case. The shock and knock-on effects of a syringe attack are almost as bad as the potential consequences of such an attack. Will the Minister of State take on board what I said, respond as positively as possible and indicate when this review will be complete?

Minister of State at the Department of Health and Children (Dr. Moffatt)

I thank Senator Cosgrave for raising this issue on the Adjournment. The Minister, Deputy O'Donoghue, regrets he cannot be present to address the issue. As the Senator is aware, there have been several escapes from escorts over recent months. Prisoners have escaped using a variety of means, including pulling syringes and demanding that cuffs be removed and, in one incident, armed intervention by associates. Such incidents cause understandable public concern and to safeguard both the prison staff and the general public, every precaution must be taken to prevent their recurrence.

The circumstances of the most serious of these incidents are as follows. On 25 January 2001 a prisoner was escorted by prison staff from Cloverhill Prison to Cork Prison. The escort consisted of three prison officers, and the prisoner was handcuffed to one prison officer at all times. The prisoner produced a syringe which he had earlier hidden on his body. He placed the syringe to the neck of one of the escorting officers, forcing the other officers to unlock his handcuffs. He escaped, following a chase, by running into a housing estate.

A second incident occurred on 2 February 2001 when a prisoner was escorted by prison staff from Waterford District Court to Cork Prison. Once again the prisoner was accompanied on the escort by three prison staff and he was handcuffed to one prison officer. The van transporting the prisoner was attacked by a group of men, at least one of whom is believed to have been in possession of a firearm. The staff were forced to unlock the prisoner's handcuffs and the prisoner made his escape in a car accompanied by the attackers. Fortunately, no staff or members of the public suffered injuries in either incident. The Senator will be aware that the Garda swiftly recaptured both escapees and I compliment the force on its success in this respect.

The Minister is very concerned at any escape from custody. As a matter of routine, security of escorts is reviewed locally after every escape or attempted escape. However, following the recent incidents, the Director General of the Prisons Service, at the request of the Minister, has set up an expert review group to examine the circumstances of each escape and to review escorting procedures and the equipment used in such escorts.

The areas being examined include the use of handcuffs and batons, the situation in relation to keyholders, transport arrangements, staff training, the profiling of prisoners and searching procedures. This group, whose members include the head of operations of the Irish Prisons Service and two senior prison governors, has met on a number of occasions and has made significant progress in this regard. While, for obvious reasons, I cannot provide exact details, I am informed by the director general that this group has identified a number of areas where immediate improvement is possible and new instructions will shortly issue to all prison governors. In addition, this review group will continue to examine other issues which require longer-term actions and which may involve other agencies, including the Courts Service and the Garda.

There will always be a need for prison escorts. Essential daily escorts include occasions where prisoners are brought to hospital, a court appearance or to another prison. The level of security on escorts is tailored to the profile of each individual prisoner. There are three basic types of escort; handcuffed escorts, armed escorts and low security escorts.

I assure the Senator that the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform is making every effort to reduce the risk to staff and members of the public during each escort. For example, a new courthouse at Cloverhill Prison was recently opened which will allow the production of prisoners at court without the need for these prisoners to be transported on public highways. Similar plans are in place to introduce such an arrangement at Castlerea Prison. It would be impractical for all transport to be provided using prison vehicles. Private transport is regularly used, particularly by provincial prisons.

It is the nature of prison escorts that, despite the most stringent precautions, there will always be an element of risk associated with transporting prisoners outside the secure confines of a closed prison. It is, however, estimated that less than one in every thousand escorts results in incidents which lead to the escape of a prisoner and the vast majority of escorts effected by prison officers are completed without incident.

There have been occasions, usually unreported, where prison staff, by their vigilance or professionalism, have succeeded in preventing the escape of prisoners, often when faced with considerable threat to their own safety.