Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 5 December 2018
189. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Justice and Equality further to Parliamentary Question No. 28 of 29 November 2018, the reason for the high numbers sleeping on mattresses in the Midlands Prison which was 674 on nights in July 2018 if capacity is at 92%. [51115/18]
View answerI am advised by my officials in the Irish Prison Service (IPS) that the bed capacity figure for each prison which appears daily on the IPS website represents the maximum number of beds available. Typically, the actual number of beds available at each individual prison on a given day will be less than the bed capacity figure as beds may be temporarily unavailable for different reasons, including general repairs and maintenance.
In relation to Midlands Prison specifically, the Deputy will be aware that I recently opened the IPS National Violence Reduction Unit at that Prison. The new Unit is an essential element of prison modernisation and marks a new approach to engaging with prisoners who present a high risk to staff, to other prisoners and to our communities. The unit was recently completed at a cost of approximately €2.7 million and is capable of housing up to 10 prisoners, including six violently disruptive prisoners. There were unavoidable bed closures during the construction phase of the Unit.
Furthermore, in relation to the general prisoner population, where local management assess a prisoner as being unsuited to share a cell in view of the prisoner's vulnerability or propensity to violence, this can result in a cell designated as being operationally suitable for two prisoners being used for one prisoner.
I am also advised that the Midlands Prison experienced a surge in the number of prisoners committed from 29 in June 2018 to 52 in July 2018. I would stress that the Prison service takes all possible steps to prevent unacceptable occupancy levels through inter-prison transfers and other contingency measures. However, it is not always possible to alleviate such situations.
Finally, it must be acknowledged that the Irish Prison Service must accept all prisoners committed by the Courts and does not have the option of refusing to take prisoners into custody.
