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Prison Service

Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 2 October 2024

Wednesday, 2 October 2024

Questions (168)

Thomas Gould

Question:

168. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Justice the number of wings for people in recovery in each prison; and whether these wings are maintained given prison overcrowding, in tabular form. [39415/24]

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Written answers

I can advise the Deputy that the Irish Prison Service offers multidimensional drug rehabilitation programmes for people in custody with access to a range of medical and rehabilitative services, such as methadone substation treatment, psycho social services, and ‘work and training’ options which assist in addressing their substance misuse.

The Irish Prison Service Drugs Strategy 2023-2026 aims at reducing the harm caused by substance abuse within the prison environment by building upon the commitments of the Irish Prison Service, Keeping Drugs Out of Prison Strategy, the new drugs strategy provides practical measures to be implemented by the Irish Prison Service in addressing the issue of illicit drug use over the next three years.

Any person entering prison giving a history of opiate use and testing positive for opioids is offered a medically assisted symptomatic detoxification, if clinically indicated. Patients can discuss other treatment options with healthcare staff. These may include stabilisation on methadone maintenance for those who wish to continue on maintenance while in prison and when they return to the community on release. People who, on committal to prison, are engaged in a methadone substitution programme in the community will, in the main, have their methadone substitution treatment continued while in prison. Methadone substitution treatment is available in 9 of the 13 prisons which accommodate over 80% of the prison population.

There are currently no formal recovery wings across the Irish Prison Service Estate, however there are a number of units which serve to support people identified as having a major mental illness, including D2 in Cloverhill Prison and two units within the Medical Unit in Mountjoy Prison. In recent years significant progress has been made to improve both accommodation and regime on these wings in both prisons.

I can further advise the Deputy that in relation to addiction recovery, there are four units within the Medical Unit in Mountjoy Prison, which are designated drug free landings and support the Treatment and Rehabilitation Programme (TARP) currently run by Merchants Quay Ireland.

Treatment and Rehabilitation is a bespoke programme which was developed in 2022 by Merchants Quay Ireland in partnership with the Irish Prison Service to support those who had become drug free in prison to continue their recovery and to support them to continue to lead a drug free life both whilst in prison, and post release. The programme runs over a seven week cycle, six weeks of group work and one week for orientation in the unit. Seven courses are held each calendar year accommodating up to 63 prisoners in total. TARP is currently being reviewed to support ongoing developments in relation to addiction support.

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