One of the major challenges in prisons today lies in preventing access to contraband items, primarily mobile phones and drugs, which for obvious reasons are viewed as highly valuable commodities among elements of the prison population. Efforts are continually made to prevent the flow of contraband into our prisons by, for example, 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 prisoner and random cell searches on a daily basis. Random searches of cells and their occupants and searching of correspondence and other items have all intercepted significant quantities of contraband in recent years. Nevertheless, the Irish Prison Service recognises that constant improvements are required in this area.
The table below illustrates the total number of items seized in each prison over this timeframe. It is important to note that a large percentage of these seizures are not directly from prisoners but are instead retrieved at entry point or before they get to the prisoner population. The type of articles seized vary considerably and include mobile phones, drugs, weapons (including improvised weapons such as pieces of perspex or shivs), phone chargers, alcohol, SIM cards, cash etc. The volume of items involved and the regularity in which seizures take place highlight the continuous attempts being made by criminal elements to access prohibited articles.
Prison
|
Total number of items seized
|
Arbour Hill
|
9
|
Castlerea Prison
|
908
|
Cloverhill Prison
|
447
|
Cork Prison
|
514
|
Dochas Centre
|
261
|
Limerick Prison
|
1,884
|
Loughan House
|
585
|
Midlands Prison
|
1,187
|
Mountjoy Prison
|
4,784
|
Portlaoise Prison
|
385
|
St. Patrick’s Institution
|
1,625
|
Shelton Abbey
|
388
|
Training Unit
|
598
|
Wheatfield Prison
|
1,501
|
Total
|
15,076
|
The above total includes 2,787 weapons and 3,156 drug seizures.