Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 26 July 2022
1523. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Justice the number of persons who were assaulted while in prison in the State in each of the past ten years and to date in 2022, in tabular form; the number of victims that were assaulted; and the number of prison staff that were assaulted. [39909/22]
View answer1524. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Justice the number of persons who reported being sexually assaulted while in prison in the State in each of the past ten years and to date in 2022. [39910/22]
View answer1526. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Justice the number of persons currently in prison in the State who have reported assault while in prison. [39912/22]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos.1523, 1524 and 1526 together.
As previously advised in a reply to the Deputy on 22 March, the Irish Prison Service commenced centrally recording the data relating to prisoner on staff assaults and prisoner on prisoner assaults in 2012.
The data requested by the Deputy in relation to assaults for the period 2012 to 2021 is provided in the tables below. The Deputy may wish to note figures also available on the website of the Irish Prison Service at www.irishprisons.ie.
Figures are not available for 2022 as records are collated on a yearly basis and published in March or April of the following year. This allows for more accurate recording as a person may not report an assault for a number of months and it also provides an opportunity for a more in depth analysis of the figures before statistics are published.
Any act of violence against a person is unacceptable whether it is carried out against a prisoner, prison officer or other staff member. I am advised by my officials in the Prison Service that necessary supports are available to those who are the victims of such assaults.
I am further advised that in accordance with Prison Rules 2007 any criminal act carried out within a prisons is reported to An Gardaí Síochána for investigation and prosecution and are referred to the medical teams within the prison for attention and follow up action where necessary.
Table 1. Prisoner on Prisoner assaults
|
Prison |
2012 |
2013 |
2014 |
2015 |
2016 |
2017 |
2018 |
2019 |
2020 |
2021 |
|
Arbour Hill |
4 |
7 |
6 |
5 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
|
Castlerea |
73 |
103 |
119 |
117 |
139 |
79 |
76 |
85 |
44 |
45 |
|
Cloverhill |
97 |
76 |
90 |
88 |
82 |
42 |
54 |
86 |
26 |
25 |
|
Cork |
43 |
30 |
51 |
27 |
33 |
44 |
42 |
61 |
64 |
46 |
|
Dóchas Centre |
25 |
21 |
16 |
47 |
30 |
33 |
28 |
39 |
0 |
8 |
|
Limerick |
45 |
31 |
37 |
24 |
5 |
18 |
28 |
32 |
17 |
19 |
|
Loughan House |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
|
Midlands |
68 |
88 |
77 |
47 |
50 |
45 |
44 |
23 |
29 |
57 |
|
Mountjoy (Male) |
92 |
107 |
96 |
176 |
156 |
113 |
110 |
103 |
26 |
14 |
|
St.Patrick's Inst. |
156 |
57 |
9 |
2 |
0 |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
|
Portlaoise |
12 |
5 |
11 |
2 |
15 |
14 |
0 |
1 |
4 |
0 |
|
Shelton Abbey |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
|
Training Unit |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
|
Wheatfield |
98 |
77 |
74 |
47 |
55 |
24 |
20 |
10 |
28 |
32 |
|
PSEC |
0 |
2 |
2 |
4 |
7 |
3 |
12 |
9 |
1 |
1 |
|
Total |
715 |
604 |
589 |
587 |
572 |
417 |
418 |
452 |
250 |
249 |
Table 2. Prisoner on Staff assaults
|
Prison |
2012 |
2013 |
2014 |
2015 |
2016 |
2017 |
2018 |
2019 |
2020 |
2021 |
|
Arbour Hill |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Castlerea |
7 |
5 |
9 |
11 |
1 |
13 |
12 |
12 |
4 |
7 |
|
Cloverhill |
9 |
12 |
20 |
8 |
21 |
8 |
11 |
19 |
4 |
14 |
|
Cork |
7 |
8 |
13 |
7 |
3 |
9 |
15 |
12 |
4 |
7 |
|
Dóchas Centre |
3 |
7 |
8 |
5 |
26 |
14 |
8 |
23 |
12 |
14 |
|
Limerick |
10 |
5 |
3 |
2 |
4 |
8 |
8 |
14 |
8 |
15 |
|
Loughan House |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
|
Midlands |
10 |
7 |
13 |
17 |
7 |
15 |
13 |
10 |
13 |
13 |
|
Mountjoy (Male) |
19 |
34 |
30 |
22 |
12 |
18 |
24 |
20 |
17 |
15 |
|
St.Patrick's Inst. |
36 |
49 |
20 |
0 |
0 |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
|
Portlaoise |
0 |
3 |
2 |
6 |
5 |
3 |
4 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
|
Shelton Abbey |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Training Unit |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
|
Wheatfield |
6 |
10 |
26 |
10 |
12 |
10 |
5 |
10 |
5 |
2 |
|
PSEC |
0 |
7 |
6 |
3 |
5 |
6 |
9 |
3 |
2 |
2 |
|
OSG |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Total |
107 |
147 |
151 |
91 |
98 |
104 |
110 |
123 |
70 |
91 |
