Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 6 December 2022
503. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Justice the number of complaints made by prisoner officers against prisoners and persons on remand in 2019 and to date in 2022; the details of the outcomes upheld, not upheld, not proven, terminated, incomplete or withdrawn; and the length of time that it took to complete and communicate the outcomes of complaints to prisoner officers. [61034/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraI am advised by my officials in the Irish Prison Service that there is no formal complaints mechanism for a prison officer to make a complaint against a prisoner. If a prisoner is found to be in breach of the Prison Rules, an officer can refer the prisoner to the disciplinary system in place under the Prisons Act, 2007 known as the P19 system. This system allows Governors to impose sanctions where a breach of the rules has been proven to take place.
Such sanction(s) are normally in the format of loss of certain privileges such as reduced phone calls, reduced visits, prohibition on the use of the gym, prohibition on use of the tuck shop etc., for defined periods of time. At the higher end of the scale, Governors can also reduce remission, which in effect lengthens the period of time a prisoner is required to remain in prison.
The table below sets out the number of P19 disciplinary reports issued from January 2020 to June 2022.
|
Description |
2020 |
2021 |
2022 (end of June) |
|
Number of P19 disciplinary reports issued |
8,746 |
8,353 |
4344 |
