Skip to main content
Normal View

Drugs in Prisons

Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 24 March 2021

Wednesday, 24 March 2021

Questions (1266)

Peadar Tóibín

Question:

1266. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Justice the volume of drugs taken in the Irish Prison Service each year for the past ten years; the volume of drugs that were confiscated or seized in the Irish Prison Service in each of the past ten years; the number of prisoners that are classified as drug addicts; and the number of prisoners receiving treatment for drug addiction. [15319/21]

View answer

Written answers

Addressing both the demand for and supply of illegal drugs remains a priority for the Irish Prison Service.  A new strategy containing actions aimed at reducing the supply and demand for illegal drugs in prisons is being finalised and will be published by the end of Quarter 2 of this year.

I am informed by my officials in the Irish Prison Service that it is not possible to collate statistics on the volume of drugs consumed in Irish prisons over the past 10 years, as due to the covert nature of the activity it would be impossible to accurately quantify the measure of drug misuse within our prison system.

Preventing access to contraband items continues to be a major challenge in prisons today. In particular mobile phones and drugs are viewed as highly valuable commodities among elements of the prison population. Efforts are made on a continuous basis to prevent the flow of contraband into our prisons through security measures such as the installation of nets over exercise yards, vigilant observation of prisoners by staff, enhanced CCTV monitoring, the stricter control of visits and the use of random and targeted searches on a daily basis.

The Irish Prison Service continues to enhance prison security and, as can been seen from contraband seizure statistics, significant amounts of contraband are detected and intercepted before reaching the prison population. The Service recently introduced new drug swabbing equipment which is similar to airport style explosives swabbing and a new anti-drone system is now fully operational in a number of Dublin prisons.  The Irish Prison Service is in the process of installing this technology in other locations across the estate.  

The information requested on the total number of drug seizures in prisons from 2012 to date is set out in Table 1 below.

It is the case that significant numbers of people committed to prison have issues with drug addiction. While the Prison Service does not have an exact figure on the number of people in custody with addiction issues, past research suggests that approximately 70% of people in custody have a history of drug or alcohol addiction.

The 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.  All prisoners are medically assessed on committal and a treatment plan is agreed for those who wish to address addiction issues.  Most often, this will focus on a symptomatic detox and a nine week Drug Treatment Programme (DTP) is available in the Mountjoy Medical Unit for those wishing to detoxify from drugs.  

1,293 prisoners received drug treatment (methadone) in 2020 and there are currently 522 prisoners in receipt of methadone across the system.

While prescribing levels for methadone have fluctuated over the past 3 years, the profile of the numbers of prisoners availing of the different treatment options - i.e. detoxification, maintenance or stabilisation - has remained consistent, with 35% availing of detoxification, 64% availing of maintenance and 1% availing of the stabilisation programme. This has also been the experience over the last 12 months, i.e. during the Covid Pandemic.

In line with Reducing Harm Supporting Recovery, 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.

A full breakdown of the number of prisoners receiving methadone is set out in Table 2 below.

As a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, the traditional manner of service delivery by addiction professionals in prisons have been impacted due to the implementation of essential infection control and operational regimes to keep prisoners and staff safe. This has required the development of new ways of working to support prisoners.

Merchants Quay Ireland’s prison-based addiction counselling teams provide support to prisoners with substance use issues within the prison system.  They offer counselling, group work and advice with a focus on harm reduction and developing care plans for post-release. Counsellors can be accessed directly in each prison or through any Irish Prison Service healthcare team member. There are currently 20 whole time equivalent addiction counsellors employed across the prison estate. The average time spent waiting to see a counsellor is 6 weeks. However, a vulnerable prisoner will be seen much quicker if recommended by the Prison Nursing Staff.

Table 1: total number of drug seizures in prisons from 2012 to date

Table 1

Table 2: Number of Prisoner in receipt of Opiate Substitution Therapy as at 18 March 2021

Prison     

Number of Prisoner     

% of population      

Castlerea

15

5.3%

Limerick

34

15.5%

Cork

38

14.4%

Cloverhill

84

24.5%

Wheatfield

92

18.2%

Midlands

61

7.4%

Portlaoise

12

5.8%

Dochas

32

27.1%

Mountjoy

154

21.9%

Total

522

15.6%

Caseload and Waiting List of MQI as at 1 March 2021 

Prison  

Caseload  

Waiting List  

Cork

47

48

Limerick

43

38

Midlands

61

50

Portlaoise

22

53

Mountjoy

99

78

Dóchas     Female Centre

24

32

Loughan     House

54

18

Shelton     Abbey

35

2

Cloverhill

47

47

Wheatfield

104

100

Castlerea

66

55

Totals

 602

521

Top
Share