Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 11 July 2017
297. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the access that prisoners held on restricted regimes have to training and education, specifically in Wheatfield place of detention and Mountjoy Prison. [32284/17]
View answerI can advise the Deputy that the restriction of a prisoner's regime can occur due to a number of factors including the protection of vulnerable prisoners. This is provided for under Rule 63 of the Prison Rules 2007. A prisoner may, either at his or her own request or when the Governor considers it necessary, in so far as is practicable and subject to the maintenance and good order and safe and secure custody, be kept separate from other prisoners who are reasonably likely to cause significant harm to him/her.
In addition, the Governor may decide, for the maintenance of good order in the prison, to remove a prisoner from general association or structured activity to reduce the negative effect that a prisoner or prisoners may have on the general population. This is provided for under Rule 62 of the Prison Rules 2007. There may also be a smaller number of prisoners who would be restricted for medical (Rule 64) or discipline reasons (Rule 67).
Wheatfield Place of Detention provides education to prisoners on a restricted regime who wish to engage with education. Each group from the different landings can access education at different time slots and on different days during the week.
Prisoners on a restricted regime in Wheatfield Place of Detention can also avail of access to exercise, training, gymnasium, library and recreation. All of the activities that are available to other prisoners in open association are provided to this cohort of prisoners in so far as it is practicable, taking into account security and safety concerns daily. The periods of activity are allocated and rotated to share out as evenly as possible the periods of the day, that is, morning, afternoon and evening.
Within Mountjoy Prison, the prisoners in the High Support Unit, prisoners on Detox Programmes and those on Protection are on restricted regimes. These prisoners are provided with access to the Mountjoy Prison education centre - those on Detox Programmes attend education all day Monday; the rest of the week is devoted to the detox programmes so Monday is the only free time available for education and this is scheduled into their weekly detox programme. Education, cookery classes and mindfulness meditation are provided in the High Support Unit.
Classes are provided to Protection prisoners in Mountjoy Prison on Tuesday and Friday mornings and those prisoners are provided with reading materials, education and art resources. In relation to access to Work Training, protection prisoners in Mountjoy accommodated on the A wing have access to training in computers and industrial skills.
