Prisoner Discipline

Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 17 December 2015

Thursday, 17 December 2015

Ceisteanna (374, 375, 376, 377, 378, 379, 380, 381, 382, 383, 384, 385, 386, 387, 388, 389)

Pádraig MacLochlainn

Ceist:

374. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the number of male prisoner-on-prisoner assaults in each of the years 2012 to 2014. [46377/15]

Pádraig MacLochlainn

Ceist:

375. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the number of female prisoner-on-prisoner assaults in each of the years 2012 to 2014. [46378/15]

Pádraig MacLochlainn

Ceist:

376. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the number of assaults committed by male prisoners aged 18 to 20 years on other prisoners in each of the years 2012 to 2014. [46379/15]

Pádraig MacLochlainn

Ceist:

377. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the number of assaults committed by female prisoners aged 18 to 20 years on other prisoners in each of the years 2012 to 2014. [46380/15]

Pádraig MacLochlainn

Ceist:

378. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the number of assaults committed by male prisoners aged 21 to 25 years on other prisoners in each of the years 2012 to 2014. [46381/15]

Pádraig MacLochlainn

Ceist:

379. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the number of assaults committed by female prisoners aged 21 to 25 years on other prisoners in each of the years 2012 to 2014. [46382/15]

Pádraig MacLochlainn

Ceist:

380. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the number of assaults committed by male prisoners aged 25 years plus on other prisoners in each of the years 2012 to 2014. [46383/15]

Pádraig MacLochlainn

Ceist:

381. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the number of assaults committed by female prisoners aged 25 years plus on other prisoners in each of the years 2012 to 2014. [46384/15]

Pádraig MacLochlainn

Ceist:

382. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the number of male prisoner-on-staff assaults in each of the years 2012 to 2014. [46385/15]

Pádraig MacLochlainn

Ceist:

383. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the number of female prisoner-on-staff assaults in each of the years 2012 to 2014. [46386/15]

Pádraig MacLochlainn

Ceist:

384. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the number of assaults committed by male prisoners aged 18 to 20 years on prison staff in each of the years 2012 to 2014. [46387/15]

Pádraig MacLochlainn

Ceist:

385. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the number of assaults committed by female prisoners aged 18 to 20 years on prison staff in each of the years 2012 to 2014. [46388/15]

Pádraig MacLochlainn

Ceist:

386. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the number of assaults committed by male prisoners aged 21 to 25 years on prison staff in each of the years 2012 to 2014. [46389/15]

Pádraig MacLochlainn

Ceist:

387. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the number of assaults committed by female prisoners aged 21 to 25 years on prison staff in each of the years 2012 to 2014. [46390/15]

Pádraig MacLochlainn

Ceist:

388. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the number of assaults committed by male prisoners aged 25 years plus on prison staff in each of the years 2012 to 2014. [46391/15]

Pádraig MacLochlainn

Ceist:

389. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the number of assaults committed by female prisoners aged 25 years plus on prison staff in each of the years 2012 to 2014. [46392/15]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Justice and Equality

I propose to take Questions Nos. 374 to 389, inclusive, together.

I am advised that the Irish Prison Service do not record assaults by age or gender category, and to collate this would require a manual examination of each record. Such an examination would require a disproportionate and inordinate amount of staff time and effort, that could not be justified where there are other significant demands on resources.

However, figures for assaults in our prisons in the years 2012 to 2014 are set out in a table.

Year	Number of Prisoner on Prisoner Assaults	Number of Prisoner Assaults on Staff
2012	715	107
2013	530	147
2014	564	144

No level of inter prisoner violence or assaults is acceptable and effort is made by prison staff and management to limit the scope of acts of violence. However, no regime can completely eliminate the possibility of violent incidents happening in a prison setting where a large number of dangerous and violent offenders are being held.

The Irish Prison Service has successfully introduced a number of measures across the prison estate such as, hand-held metal detectors, netting over prison yards, BOSS chairs and security screening machines to detect and prevent weapons from entering the prison to limit the scope of acts of violence. In addition, new prisoner programmes have been introduced such as the Incentivised Regimes policy which provides for a differentiation of privileges between prisoners according to their level of engagement with services and quality of behaviour. The objective is to provide tangible incentives to prisoners to participate in structured activities and to reinforce good behaviour, leading to a safer and more secure environment.