Deputy Jim O'Keeffe has been given permission to raise the matter of the circumstances surrounding the attempted suicide of a 16 year old prisoner yesterday and his proposals for reducing the incidence of such occurrence in the future, as a question to the Minister for Justice. Deputy O'Keeffe has five minutes and the Minister for Justice has five minutes.
Adjournment Debate. - Suicide in Prison.
I was absolutely horrified at this suicide. In expressing sympathy for the 16 year old youth involved in this latest tragic suicide in our prisons, and condolences to his relatives, let us all realise that we, and in particular the Minister for Justice, have a responsibility for the safety, health and wellbeing of those who are unwilling guests of the nation in our prisons. Our prison suicide rate is eight times the suicide rate of the general population. With 14 deaths in the last three years it is twice the average in UK prisons where positive steps have been taken in recent years to reduce the incidence of suicide. Last March a 19 year old girl hanged herself in Mountjoy and demands for action at that time fell on deaf ears.
We should appreciate what our prison conditions are like. The situation was summed up in a leading article in The Irish Times of 8 May last which stated:
That there is overcrowding appears to be beyond doubt. The former visiting committee speaks of shocking conditions with prisoners held in corrugated steel cabins that lack ventilation. Overcrowding and inadequate medical facilities are described by the president of the Prison Officers' Association as contributing to "the unfortunate death and injury rate in the prisons". There is the additional factor of drug abuse, an obvious source of fear among prisoners and concern to the prison officers.
To say that the Minister for Justice has failed to provide the reassurance which these circumstances demand would be an understatement.
Despite the wealth of research available from the UK and elsewhere, the only response from the Minister was to set up a committee last year. He has the report of the committee on his desk and has not published it, never mind implemented its recommendations. In fact, he has even failed to respond to my request for a Dáil debate on the committee of inquiry into the penal system which resulted in the 1985 Whitaker report. Action must be taken now to reduce the overcrowding in our prisons, which is a major cause of the problem. There must be more emphasis on Garda schemes to prevent and reduce crime, such as the juvenile liaison officer scheme. They should be put on a statutory basis and given proper funding.
Furthermore, there must also be more emphasis on non-custodial sentences, particularly for young people involved in petty crime. This, of course, would involve the greater use of community service orders, the introduction of house arrest procedures, weekend imprisonment and so on to reduce over-crowding. There must be an appreciation that prisoners are usually socially vulnerable and may suffer from mental illness, alcoholism and drug addiction. They are, therefore, much more likely to injure themselves, particularly in unsupported situations of congestion and tension.
The system must identify those most at risk. Studies in the UK have shown that those on remand, those serving the early part of sentences and those who have made previous suicide attempts are at most risk. We must have a system of supervision of those most at risk. Since 90 per cent of suicides in prisons are by hanging, practical steps should be taken to reduce the physical possibilities, particularly for those identified as being at risk.
We must have clear lines of responsibility for the health of prisoners as between the Departments of Health, Education and Justice. At the moment psychiatric, psychological treatment for drug addiction, alcoholism and sexual deviation is not available except on a very occasional basis. Psychotropic medication should be administered by professional staff with the same regulation as applies to the dispensing of drugs within the community as a whole.
The Minister, even at this stage, should publish the latest report, arrange for a Dáil debate on its recommendations and, more importantly, begin to implement them without delay. Fortunately the services of Dr. Enda Dooley the forensic psychiatrist are now available. He is the prison medical director. He has extensive experience and has published serious research findings on the issue of prison suicides. I hope that full support will be given to him in his new role.
I hesitate to touch on economic realities where matters of life and death are involved, but even putting the issue at its most basic, I would remind the Minister of the possibility of damages claims. There is a case in the UK on this very issue, the case of Kirkham v. Anderton, the Chief Constable of greater Manchester. The time for action is now. Public conscience has been aroused. A huge number of people are absolutely appalled. Let there be no further delay in drawing the lessons from this succession of tragedies and in preventing, as far as possible, any further such tragedies.
There is about a minute and a half left, a Leas-Cheann Comhairle. I promised Deputy McCartan that I would give him the opportunity of making a brief intervention.
The Deputy should not make such promises because everything that is different from the order requires the agreement of the House. I am sure the House will agree that Deputy McCartan should have one minute.
Thank you very much, a Leas-Cheann Comhairle. I would like to thank Deputy O'Keeffe for the opportunity of adding my voice to his in urging the Minister to take some definite and concrete action to deal with what is now an appalling history. In the past four years 14 people have taken their lives while in the custody of the Minister in our prisons. I would like to join with this House in expressing my deepest sadness and regret and in offering my condolences to the family of the young teenager from Derry who took his own life in St. Patrick's Institution. It is an incredible state of affairs that a person as young as that from so far away should end up in this sad and sorry situation.
The Minister has had the benefit of report from the committee established by him some time ago to investigate these matters. He undertook that as soon as the report was available he would act on it. I am urging the Minister to publish that report, make it available to the House and afford a debate. I would urge him in particular to take the practical steps that I know are contained in that report to try to ensure that we will not even again have a repeat of this sad and unfortunate event.
I, of course, share the concern to which deaths in prison give rise. As for the death which has led to the debate tonight I am sure the House will agree that the death of someone so young and in such tragic circumstances — whether it occurs in prison or in the community — must be a matter of great regret.
As an inquest into the death will take place in due course, and as all matters relevant to the death will be inquired into on that occasion, I do not consider that it would be appropriate for me to comment on them in detail here. There is the further point that sensitivity to the feelings of the family and friends of the deceased, particularly at this time, so soon after the death, require a considerable degree of reticence in that regard. I am sure no one would wish anything to be said which could add in any way to the distress of the bereaved. I know that at this very sad and tragic time the House will join with me in expressing sympathy to the family and friends of the deceased.
Regrettably deaths in prisons are not a recent phenomenon, they are an unfortunate reality with which prison administrations throughout the world have to contend. Because of the deep concern which deaths in prison understandably give rise to I established towards the end of last year an advisory group to examine specifically the issue of deaths in prison and to make recommendations in relation to any aspect of the matter.
The group comprises a Governor and Deputy Governor, a psychiatrist, a psychologist, a chaplain, a senior probation and welfare officer, a representative of the Prison Officers' Association and a principal officer from the treatment of offenders division of my Department. In addition the Prisons Medical Director was also assigned to work with the group on his appointment last October.
It will be readily appreciated that the task which the group were asked to undertake is an extremely complex one involving as it does enormously sensitive issues. The group which has a high level of expertise, has deliberated on this issue over the last 12 months during which time they have had consultations with others who could assist them in their task. I understand that they are now nearing the end of their work and expect to produce their final report early in the new year. Because of my concerns on the matter I requested the group to furnish me with interim proposals which could be implemented in the short term. This they have done and I have fully accepted their proposals. I will be making a full statement in relation to the implementation of these proposals shortly.
As I stated on previous occasions to this House very strenuous efforts are made by the prison authorities to identify offenders who may be at risk and, where such offenders are identified, they are given special attention by prison staff with the specific objective of minimising the risk of self-injury. Offenders whose behaviour suggests that they have psychiatric problems or that they might make an attempt at committing suicide are referred to consultant psychiatrists who visit the prisons regularly and, if the psychiatrist considers it necessary they are transferred to the Central Mental Hospital. While I am satisfied that all concerned are fully aware of the need to be vigilant in this area, it has to be accepted that it will never be possible to identify every possible potential suicide victim or to eliminate every possible avenue of self-injury; where an offender is determined to take his or her life, there are limits to what the prison authorities can reasonably do.
A report on each death is carefully examined within my Department with a view to establishing whether there was any action that might have been taken that might have helped to bring a risk to notice or that might have lessened any risk that was known in the particular case. Riders to inquest verdicts are carefully examined by the prison authorities and implemented when considered appropriate and practical.
Finally let me say that at all times every practical measure is adopted to reduce suicide risks in prisons and I can assure the House that when I receive the final report of the advisory group I shall examine it as a matter of priority.