I welcome the Minister of State to the House to discuss the matter of Mountjoy Prison visitors' centre which has changed remarkably since I had the sad privilege of visiting a number of prisoners there 25 or 30 years ago. The situation was fairly horrible then, although the staff were good humoured, friendly, decent and caring. With the redevelopment of the prison, things have become much more humane.
I recently attended a remarkable play called "Up the Flats" written by one of the inmates of Mountjoy Prison. The play was staged by a wonderful group called the Pathways Group. While waiting in the queue I discovered I did not have my ticket and when I asked others in the queue about the routine involved, I was told I might not be allowed in. It turned out that I was talking to the playwright's proud mother. It was nice that she was able to witness her son's achievement. The shame of a prison sentence often reflects on the family and it is very important to treat them in a humane way. They are very vulnerable people. We are lucky to have such a good governor in Mr. Lonergan who makes very humane provision for the inmates.
A proposal to cutback this service has shaken the families involved and they have organised a petition. A copy of the petition and an accompanying document was sent to me on behalf of the people involved. It makes the point that the services offered in the centre play a crucial role in supporting visitors, many of whom are vulnerable and in need of support. If the planned redundancies go ahead, the impact on the service would have serious consequences on the high standard of care currently offered to visitors. I intend to place some of the families' remarks on the record of the House.
The child care service would be diminished. It is very important to look after the children of families who visit people in prison. This will impact greatly on families, children and their carers and would also have a knock-on effect on all visitors and officers involved in the centre. The children have grown accustomed to using the play facilities. To find them closed would cause great anguish to children and their accompanying carer and would obviously affect the parent they are visiting. To take it away would be similar to taking candy from a child. It would be a desperate thing to do. Serious health and safety risks would ensue if the play areas were closed and children were allowed to run freely around the centre. On the few occasions when the play area has been closed due to staff training, parents who were already under considerable strain found it difficult to keep their children occupied. This resulted in many of the children becoming over excited, running around the centre and, at times, outside. Other visitors' anxieties were seen to increase as they worried about the children's safety, noise levels and the consequences of such behaviour.
It would be difficult to maintain the current level of care given to people who appear to be under the influence of substances. This is because the focus of staff would be exclusively on issues of child safety. The constant counselling and listening support being engaged in around the centre would be affected and the noise level would be too high for anyone to sustain proper conversation.
Before the centre was opened, visitors were given little regard in terms of facilities. Visitors and officers often speak about the terrible conditions that existed then and how delighted they are with the centre and the high level of service they receive. There is unanimity between the visitors and the officers on this point.
One cannot deny the pressures and strains visitors of prisoners experience, no matter what their background. They need support and understanding as they often express how isolated they feel having nobody to turn to with regard to problems associated with having a loved one imprisoned. For many relatives and friends of prisoners, prison visitor centres have become places where they are welcomed with dignity and respect in a non-judgmental, non-hostile environment. The families have done nothing, yet they are punished.
This imaginative opening up of visitor centres has enormously increased the self-respect of visitors and the comfort of visiting in these sad circumstances. Staff work hard at establishing and, over time, maintaining supportive relationships with all visitors. Many people visiting have described the centres as a home away from home, warm and welcoming, with an emphasis on advice, referrals and professional contact. To maintain the high standard of care to which the visitors have grown accustomed, the staff levels currently provided need to be maintained, yet nine child care workers, three project officers, a receptionist and a personal assistant are to be made redundant at the end of this month. That is dreadful.
I will conclude by quoting the following remarks made by family members who have visited the prison:
The staff up here are very helpful, very good humoured and always have a smile.
The staff here are the nicest staff in all of the places, nice, respectable, good mannered and helpful.
The staff here are very good, they are very polite, they look after the children very well. The tea bar is great.
I think the staff are very good and nice and they look after the kids great.
Well needed for children. Nice and clean area. Friendly staff.
The improvements here over the past few years have been much appreciated by visiting families and by staff. To reduce the staff would be a backward step. Thank you.
It is a pleasure to come here and meet such nice, helpful people and to be served tea.
The staff are great. I have two kids and would be lost without the play area and the support of all the staff.
The staff are very helpful. I have three kids who love the crèche and would miss it very much. It also gives me a chance to sit and have a cup of tea. I think it was the best idea that was ever thought up. It would be a sin to close down this place. The staff are the best staff in any job and I hope it gets support.
I appeal to the Minister of State to do what she can to support this remarkable and humane initiative.
