Prison Deaths

Thursday, 22 October 2020

Questions (139)

Thomas Pringle

Question:

139. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Justice further to Parliamentary Question No. 607 of 6 October 2020, the number of deaths in custody covered that took place while a prisoner was outside the prison; the definition of narrative verdict; if she could provide an explanation as to the way in which a death in custody could be an open verdict; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32106/20]

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Written answers

Minister for Justice

I can inform the Deputy that further to the information provided in my response to Parliamentary Question No. 607 of 6 October 2020, which reported on the number of deaths in prison custody from 2010 to 2020, I am advised by the Irish Prison Service that 51 of those deaths occurred in hospital. The relevant details are set out in Table 1 beneath.

In addition, I can also inform the Deputy that there were 66 further deaths of prisoners, during the same period, who were on some form of temporary release from prison or were Unlawfully-at-Large from prison at the time of their death. The information with regard to this cohort is set out in Table 2.

As advised previously, all deaths in custody are the subject of a Garda investigation and an inquest held in a Coroners Court.

The conduct of inquests is entirely a matter for the coroner for the district concerned. The coroner is an independent office holder and the Department has no role in the scheduling of inquests.

I am advised that there is no definition of “verdict” in Irish coronial law. However, the terms in question and other verdicts are used by coroners at the conclusion of inquests to best describe the outcome of their investigation into the death of the deceased.

Deaths in prison are reportable to a coroner who will then decide, in the circumstances, whether to direct a post-mortem examination and conduct an inquest. There may be a number of factors which give rise to delays in the holding of an inquest. Family members of the deceased are advised to maintain contact with the relevant coroner.

Table 1: Deaths in Custody 2010 to 1 October 2020 classified by Year, Gender, Prison, Cause of Death as determined by Coroner and the number of deaths in custody that took place while a prisoner was outside the prison

Year	Gender	Prison	Cause of Death (as determined by Coroner)	Location
2020
	Male	Cloverhill	Inquest Pending	Hospital
	Male	Limerick	Inquest Pending	Limerick Prison
	Male	Castlerea	Inquest Pending	Hospital
	Male	Castlerea	Inquest Pending	Castlerea Prison
	Male	Arbour Hill	Inquest Pending	Arbour Hill Prison
	Male	Wheatfield	Inquest Pending	Wheatfield Prison
	Male	Arbour Hill	Inquest Pending	Arbour Hill Prison
	Male	Cork	Inquest Pending	Hospital

2019
	Male	Midlands	Inquest Pending	Hospital
	Male	Cloverhill	Inquest Pending	Hospital
	Male	Cloverhill	Inquest Pending	Hospital
	Male	Cloverhill	Inquest Pending	Cloverhill Prison
	Male	Wheatfield	Inquest Pending	Hospital
	Male	Midlands	Inquest Pending	Midlands Prison
	Male	Arbour Hill	Inquest Pending	Hospital
	Male	Limerick	Inquest Pending	Limerick Prison
	Male	Cork	Inquest Pending	Cork Prison
	Male	Portlaoise	Inquest Pending	Hospital
	Male	Wheatfield	Inquest Pending	Wheatfield Prison
	Male	Mountjoy	Inquest Pending	Hospital
	Male	Midlands	Inquest Pending	Midlands Prison
	Male	Midlands	Inquest Pending	Hospital

2018
	Male	Midlands	Inquest Pending	Midlands Prison
	Male	Midlands	Inquest Pending	Midlands Prison
	Male	Cork	Misadventure	Hospital
	Male	Mountjoy	Inquest Pending	Hospital
	Male	Midlands	Inquest Pending	Hospital
	Male	Mountjoy	Inquest Pending	Mountjoy Prison
	Male	Wheatfield	Inquest Pending	Wheatfield Prison
	Male	Cork	Suicide	Cork Prison
	Male	Mountjoy	Inquest Pending	Mountjoy Prison

2017
	Male	Cloverhill	Suicide	Cloverhill Prison
	Male	Wheatfield	Inquest Pending	Hospital
	Male	Limerick	Open Verdict	Limerick Prison
	Male	Cork	Suicide	Cork Prison
	Male	Mountjoy	Misadventure	Hospital
	Male	Midlands	Natural Causes	Hospital
	Male	Midlands	Inquest Pending	Hospital
	Male	Mountjoy	Open Verdict	Hospital
	Male	Cork	Natural Causes	Cork Prison

2016
	Male	Mountjoy	Suicide	Mountjoy Prison
	Male	Midlands	Natural Causes	Hospital
	Male	Wheatfield	Narrative	Hospital
	Male	Portlaoise	Suicide	Portlaoise Prison
	Male	Mountjoy	‘Deceased took his own life.’	Mountjoy Prison

2015
	Male	Cloverhill	Narrative	Hospital
	Male	Midlands	Suicide	Midlands Prison
	Male	Mountjoy	Natural Causes	Hospital
	Male	Midlands	Misadventure	Midlands Prison
	Male	Midlands	Natural Causes	Hospital
	Male	Castlerea	Open Verdict	Castlerea Prison
	Male	Portlaoise	Inquest Pending	Portlaoise Prison
	Female	Dochas Centre	Narrative	Hospital
	Male	Arbour Hill	Natural Causes	Hospital
	Male	Cork	Unlawful Killing	Hospital
	Male	Midlands	Misadventure	Hospital
	Male	Mountjoy	Misadventure	Mountjoy Prison
	Male	Midlands	Natural Causes	Midlands Prison
	Male	Mountjoy	‘Deceased took his own life.’	Hospital
	Male	Cloverhill	Misadventure	Hospital

2014
	Male	Limerick	Misadventure	Limerick Prison
	Male	Wheatfield	Misadventure	Wheatfield Prison
	Male	Wheatfield	Natural Causes	Hospital
	Male	Mountjoy	Narrative	Hospital
	Male	Cloverhill	Open	Hospital
	Male	Mountjoy	Misadventure	Hospital
	Male	Mountjoy	Suicide	Hospital
	Male	Mountjoy	Suicide	Mountjoy Prison

2013
	Male	Wheatfield	Natural Causes	Wheatfield Prison
	Male	Castlerea	Inquest Pending	Hospital
	Male	Limerick	Open Verdict	Hospital
	Male	Mountjoy	Death by Suicide	Hospital
	Male	Mountjoy	Death by Misadventure	Hospital
	Male	Cork	Suicide	Cork Prison
	Male	Wheatfield	Natural Causes	Hospital
	Male	Mountjoy	Death by Suicide	Hospital
	Male	Midlands	Inquest Pending	Midlands Prison

2012
	Male	Mountjoy	Suicide	Mountjoy Prison
	Male	Mountjoy	Misadventure	Hospital
	Male	Midlands	Natural Causes	Midlands Prison
	Male	Limerick	Open	Limerick Prison
	Male	Mountjoy	Suicide	Mountjoy Prison

2011
	Male	Cloverhill	Suicide	Cloverhill Prison
	Male	Shelton Abbey	Misadventure	Shelton Abbey
	Male	Wheatfield	Narrative Verdict	Hospital
	Male	Mountjoy	Misadventure	Mountjoy Prison
	Male	Wheatfield	Misadventure	Hospital
	Male	Castlerea	Misadventure	Castlerea Prison

2010
	Male	Wheatfield Prison	Natural Causes	Hospital
	Male	Midlands Prison	Suicide	Midlands Prison
	Female	Dochas Centre	Suicide	Dochas Centre
	Male	Mountjoy Prison	Suicide	Hospital
	Male	Arbour Hill Prison	Narrative Verdict	Hospital
	Male	Cloverhill Prison	Natural Causes	Hospital
	Male	Midlands Prison	Natural Causes	Hospital
	Male	Midlands Prison	Natural Causes	Hospital
	Male	Mountjoy Prison	Misadventure	Mountjoy Prison
	Male	Cork Prison	Misadventure	Hospital
	Male	Loughan House	Misadventure	Loughan House

Table 2: Deaths 1 January 2010 to 1 October 2020 classified by Year, Gender and Prison, that took place while a prisoner was outside the prison on Temporary Release, Renewable Temporary Release, Full Temporary Release or Unlawfully at Large.

Year	Gender	Prison	Prisoner Status
2020
	Male	Cork	Unlawfully at Large
	Male	Mountjoy	Temporary Release

2019
	Male	Midlands	Renewable Temporary Release
	Female	Dochas	Renewable Temporary Release
	Male	Mountjoy	Renewable Temporary Release
	Male	Mountjoy	Renewable Temporary Release
	Male	Limerick	Renewable Temporary Release
	Male	Cork	Temporary Release

2018
	Male	Castlerea	Renewable Temporary Release
	Female	Dochas	Renewable Temporary Release
	Male	Shelton Abbey	Renewable Temporary Release
	Male	Shelton Abbey	Temporary Release
	Male	Cork	Temporary Release
	Male	Mountjoy	Renewable Temporary Release
	Female	Dochas	Renewable Temporary Release
	Male	Castlerea	Unlawfully at Large
	Male	Midlands	Renewable Temporary Release
	Male	Arbour Hill	Renewable Temporary Release

2017
	Male	Castlerea	Temporary Release
	Male	Mountjoy	Temporary Release
	Male	Arbour Hill	Temporary Release
	Male	Arbour Hill	Temporary Release
	Male	Midlands	Renewable Temporary Release

2016
	Male	Mountjoy	Renewable Temporary Release
	Male	Mountjoy	Renewable Temporary Release
	Male	Midlands	Temporary Release
	Male	Arbour Hill	Temporary Release
	Male	Midlands	Renewable Temporary Release

2015
	Male	Loughan House	Temporary Release
	Male	Mountjoy	Temporary Release
	Male	Mountjoy	Renewable Temporary Release
	Male	Cork	Temporary Release
	Male	Mountjoy	Full Temporary Release
	Male	Midlands	Temporary Release
	Female	Limerick	Temporary Release
	Male	Wheatfield	Temporary Release

2014
	Male	Mountjoy	Temporary Release
	Male	Shelton Abbey	Temporary Release
	Male	Limerick	Renewable Temporary Release
	Male	Midlands	Temporary Release
	Male	Mountjoy	Temporary Release
	Male	Mountjoy	Temporary Release
	Female	Dochas Centre	Renewable Temporary Release

2013
	Male	Cork	Temporary Release
	Male	Castlerea	Temporary Release
	Male	Mountjoy	Temporary Release
	Male	Mountjoy	Temporary Release
	Male	Midlands	Renewable Temporary Release

2012
	Male	Wheatfield	Temporary Release
	Male	Castlerea	Temporary Release
	Male	Mountjoy	Temporary Release
	Male	Mountjoy	Temporary Release
	Male	Cloverhill	Temporary Release
	Male	Mountjoy	Temporary Release
	Male	Arbour Hill	Temporary Release
	Male	Mountjoy	Renewable Temporary Release
	Male	Mountjoy	Renewable Temporary Release
	Male	Cork	Renewable Temporary Release
	Male	Mountjoy	Renewable Temporary Release
	Male	Midlands	Renewable Temporary Release
	Male	Shelton Abbey	Renewable Temporary Release

2011
	Male	Midlands	Temporary Release
	Male	Wheatfield	Temporary Release
	Male	Mountjoy	Temporary Release
	Male	Wheatfield	Temporary Release

2010
	Male	Wheatfield	Renewable Temporary Release