Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 6 May 2015
240. Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the numbers of persons in prison and in each institution who are serving a sentence for the first time, diagnosed with a mental health problem, dependent on drugs, and on remand; the number of recorded attacks on prison officers and prisoners by other prisoners in each prison; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17227/15]
View answer241. Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the number of persons between 18 and 20 years of age, inclusive, in Wheatfield Place of Detention being held under sentence or remand under existing legislation; the number in each prison serving a sentence for the first time diagnosed with a mental health problem, dependent on drugs or on remand among this age cohort; the number of recorded attacks on prison officers and prisoners by other prisoners; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17228/15]
View answer242. Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the number of persons between 21 and 24 years of age, inclusive, in prison; the number in each institution; the number of prisoners of this age cohort in each institution serving a sentence for the first time, diagnosed with a mental health problem, dependent on drug misuse, or on remand; the number of recorded attacks on prison officers and prisoners by other prisoners in this age cohort in each institution; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17229/15]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 240 to 242, inclusive, together.
I am advised by the Irish Prison Service that some of the information requested by the Deputy cannot be answered in the way the Deputy has asked. Such an examination would require a disproportionate and inordinate amount of staff time and effort that could not be justified where there are other significant demands on resources. However I can advise the Deputy that the number of sentenced and remand prisoner in custody in each prison is set out in Table 1. I am further advised by the Irish Prison Service that on the 5th May 2015 there were 61 sentenced prisoners aged 18 to 20 in custody in Wheatfield Place of Detention. There were no prisoners in this age category on remand. I am advised by the Irish Prison Service that the number of persons aged 21 to 24 in each prison is set out in the table 2.
The Irish Prison Service provides a wide range of services to meet the therapeutic needs of persons in custody who require mental health services, or access to drug treatment services.
In relation to drug dependency the Irish Prison Service continues to seek to construct a range of programmes, support services and through-care options for prisoners demonstrating a commitment to addressing their substance misuse. In line with Action 43 of the National Drug Strategy the Irish Prison Service has an agreed protocol with the HSE for the seamless transition of prisoners established on drug treatment into community drug treatment settings. As well as this drug free units are operational in all closed prisons. These units accommodate and cater for the needs of both drug free prisoners and illicit drug free prisoners including those prisoners stable on methadone. All prisoners engaged in drug treatment have the support of healthcare staff and in reach services as required. Merchants Quay Ireland currently has a contract with the Irish Prison Service for the provision of addiction counselling services in all prisons with the exception of Arbour Hill. The expansion of treatment and other health and social services in prisons continues. Drug treatment services are now in place all closed prisons.
In-reach mental health services are available in all Dublin prisons and in the Portlaoise Campus and Castlerea Prison by way of collaboration with the National Forensic Mental Health Services. The Central Mental Hospital provides forensic mental health sessions weekly in these prisons, and provides an assessment and liaison service for all other prisons. Specialist in-reach services are also in place in Cork Prison and Limerick Prison. The Irish Prison Service has access to a limited number of places in the Central Mental Hospital for prisoners who require residential mental health treatment. The IPS Psychology Service also provides mental health services to prisoners, and helps offenders address factors that put them at risk of re-offending. As well as this a Psychiatric In-reach and Court Liaison Service is available at Cloverhill Prison.
With regards to the Deputy's request for a breakdown of assaults among certain categories of prisoner, I am informed by the Irish Prison Service that assault statistics are also not categorised by prisoner age profile. However, figures for assaults in our prisons for 2013 are set out in Table 3.
The Irish Prison Service has successfully introduced a number of measures across the prison estate such as, hand-held metal detectors, netting over prison yards, boss chairs and security screening machines to detect and prevent weapons from entering the prison to limit the scope of acts of violence. In addition, new prisoner programmes have been introduced such as the Incentivised Regimes policy which provides for a differentiation of privileges between prisoners according to their level of engagement with services and quality of behaviour. The objective is to provide tangible incentives to prisoners to participate in structured activities and to reinforce good behaviour, leading to a safer and more secure.
Table 1
|
Institution |
Number in custody |
Number on Trial/Remand |
|
Mountjoy (Male) |
542 |
3 |
|
Mountjoy (Female) |
96 |
17 |
|
Training Unit |
93 |
0 |
|
St. Patrick's |
1 |
1 |
|
Cloverhill |
347 |
228 |
|
Wheatfield |
480 |
1 |
|
Midlands |
795 |
46 |
|
Portlaoise |
222 |
11 |
|
Cork |
234 |
38 |
|
Limerick (Male) |
229 |
53 |
|
Limerick (Female) |
26 |
4 |
|
Castlerea |
309 |
49 |
|
Arbour Hill |
135 |
0 |
|
Loughan House |
131 |
0 |
|
Shelton Abbey |
97 |
0 |
|
Total |
3,737 |
451 |
Table 2
|
Institution |
Aged 21 to 24 |
Number on remand (aged 21 to 24) |
|
Mountjoy (Male) |
92 |
0 |
|
Mountjoy (Female) |
7 |
2 |
|
Training Unit |
8 |
0 |
|
Cloverhill |
64 |
44 |
|
Wheatfield |
66 |
0 |
|
Midlands |
106 |
6 |
|
Portlaoise |
30 |
0 |
|
Cork |
39 |
6 |
|
Limerick (Male) |
54 |
12 |
|
Limerick (Female) |
4 |
0 |
|
Castlerea |
46 |
7 |
|
Arbour Hill |
8 |
0 |
|
Loughan House |
15 |
0 |
|
Shelton Abbey |
5 |
0 |
|
Total |
544 |
77 |
Table 3
|
Prison/Place of Detention |
Number of Prisoner on Prisoner Assaults by prison 2014 |
Number of Prisoner Assaults on Staff by prison 2014 |
|
Arbour Hill |
6 |
1 |
|
Castlerea |
95 |
9 |
|
Cloverhill |
90 |
20 |
|
Cork |
51 |
13 |
|
Dóchas Centre |
16 |
8 |
|
Limerick (F) |
0 |
0 |
|
Limerick (M) |
37 |
3 |
|
Loughan House |
0 |
0 |
|
Midlands |
77 |
13 |
|
Mountjoy (Male) |
96 |
30 |
|
St. Patrick's Institution |
9 |
13 |
|
Portlaoise |
11 |
2 |
|
Shelton Abbey |
0 |
0 |
|
Training Unit |
0 |
0 |
|
Wheatfield |
74 |
26 |
|
PSEC |
2 |
6 |
|
Total |
564 |
144 |
