Vol. 491 No. 2
2 Dr. Upton asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the number of prisoners in Mountjoy Prison in need of treatment for psychiatric disorders or drug addiction; and the numbers who received treatment for these conditions in the last year for which figures are available. [11634/98]
A decision as to whether a prisoner is in need of treatment for a psychiatric disorder or a drug addiction problem is a matter for the medical personnel in our penal institutions. In the year 1997 to April 1998, 705 prisoners were referred to visiting psychiatrists by prison medical officers. Without an examination of each individual case, it is not possible to say what treatment, if any, was subsequently recommended and provided. Prisoners are referred to a visiting psychiatrist for a variety of reasons, including particular situational difficulties, for example, stress due to imprisonment. It should be noted, however, that the numbers of prisoners referred do not necessarily correlate to actual levels of psychiatric illness. During 1997, following medical assessment, approximately 1,650 inmates in Mountjoy Prison entered the standard 14 day drug detoxification programme in the prison and, to date, over 120 inmates have been admitted to the drug treatment unit which was opened there in July 1996.
The issues involved in dealing with people who have mental health and drug addiction problems and who have been committed to our penal institutions by the courts have been with us for considerable time. Although substantial facilities to deal with these problems are available, access to specialised psychiatric treatment and to dedicated drug treatment, both medical and psychological, needs to be improved. To this end my Department has, for some time, been involved in negotiations with the Eastern Health Board and the Department of Health and Children with a view to improving psychiatric input to the various institutions through the implementation of a service agreement and the assignment to the prisons area by the health board of a number of dedicated psychiatrists. It has been agreed by all parties involved that this is the most appropriate approach to solving the current difficulties. The appointment of these psychiatrists is a matter for the Eastern Health Board and is awaited.
The current drug treatment programme in Mountjoy Prison is under review at present. My intention is to extend drug treatment facilities there to fully cater for all prisoners who present with a drug addiction problem. This is hampered at present by serious overcrowding in the prison and it will obviously require the allocation of considerable resources. I am confident that the space necessary for this expansion will become available as the prison building programme progresses.
The 1996 report of the Mountjoy Prison Visiting Committee stated that 100 prisoners should be in psychiatric hospitals rather than jail at that time. Has the position in the prison changed in the intervening period?
Regarding the figures outlined by the Minister in relation to the detoxification programme, does he agree with the findings of the visiting committee's report that only nine prisoners were on a structured drug treatment programme from a total of 3,000 prisoners who were in the prison during that year? Has there been a radical change in the services and circumstances in the jail since 1996 or are the Minister's figures another way of stating that the position has not changed?
I have always been of the view that it would not be possible to effect substantial change in the prison regime in terms of rehabilitative efforts and accommodation until there was an adequate number of prison spaces. The prison building programme, which was promised by the Government when it came into office, is under way and on target to provide an additional 1,000 prison spaces over the next year. The Government gave a commitment that it would provide these places within two years of taking office.
Castlerea Prison is now open and it is hoped that the women's prison at Mountjoy and the remand prison at Cloverhill in Dublin will be open in the autumn or at the end of the year. I opened a new wing at Limerick Prison earlier this year and I hope to sign a contract for a new prison at Portlaoise, which will accommodate 400 prisoners, in the coming weeks. These measures will go a considerable distance towards alleviating the problems which Deputy Upton identified.
I agree with the Deputy that a proportion of prisoners in Mountjoy suffer from a mental illness. However, published figures indicate that, at most, 5 per cent of committals to Mountjoy involve people with a history of major mental illness. I am advised by the Director of the Prison Medical Service that while these individuals may have a history of mental illness, it is not necessarily the case that all of them would require hospital care.
Deputy Upton asked about the drug treatment services at the prison and whether they are adequate. My view is that it is necessary to extend the drug treatment facilities in Mountjoy to cater fully for all prisoners who have a drug addiction problem. I also intend to establish a medical treatment programme, if necessary, and a drug free unit in every enclosed institution as soon as possible. However, the overcrowding problem places constraints on the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform in that regard. Nevertheless, I am acting vigorously to address all the problems that have affected the prison regime for many years and which have been accentuated by the growth of the drug problem particularly in Mountjoy.
Does the Minister agree it is outrageous that people suffering from drug addictions are placed in an environment where treatment could easily be provided, but it is not provided? It is particularly outrageous given the huge difficulties involved in making drug treatment facilities available in the community.
I accept it is desirable that each prisoner should receive treatment. However, the Deputy should bear in mind that not only must an individual volunteer but he or she must be suitable for treatment. I outlined my intentions with regard to the expansion of drug treatment facilities. These demonstrate my acknowledgement of the problems that exist and my intention to address them. I intend to extend the drug treatment facilities in Mountjoy.
