PRISONERS GETTING HOOKED ON LEGAL DRUGS

Prisoners are becoming addicted to tranquillisers and sleeping tablets
because there are no proper checks on prescriptions being dispensed in
jailed.

Prison doctors confirmed last night up to one third of inmates, many
with alcohol and other addictions, are also becoming hooked on legal
drugs because medication is prescribed for long periods without a
review date.

Irish Prison Doctors' Association chairman, Dr Ronan Ryder, said the
main problem of sedative misuse was underfunding coupled with a system
which allows prisoners to `doctor shop' and get drugs from both
psychiatrists and GPs.

There is no full time pharmacist in the prison service, which an IPDA
study shows has the potential to double the number taking
tranquillisers.

Doctors prescribe sleeping tablets for a set period but when prisoners
are transferred to other prisons they can still get the medication
because there is no inter jail information link up.

This leads to some prisoners being left on prescribed hypnotic
drugs for years when it becomes very difficult to take them off,
said Dr Ryder, a GP at Limerick Prison.

An internal Department of Justice report shows key medical posts,
including prison pharmacist, psychiatrists and doctors, cannot be filled.

There exists an almost absolute lack of professional pharmacy
supervision over the purchase, storage and dispensing of
pharmaceutical supplies throughout the prison system, it states.

A recent psychological survey of Mountjoy inmates showed almost a
third were taking sleeping pills, marginally less were on
tranquillisers while a number were taking both.

Irish Prison Services director, Sean Aylward, last night rejected
there was abuse of prescribed drugs in Irish jails.

He confirmed, however, almost a quarter of the pounds 1.73m prison
medicines budget last year was spent on psychological drugs including
sleeping tablets and anti-depressants.

Mr Aylward said the drugs are given by prison officers or nurses with
psychiatric training who stop administering when a course is finished.

But Dr Ian O'Donnell of the Irish Penal Reform Trust said the amount
of money spent on medicines was worryingly high.

He said while chemical drugs were sometimes necessary to help
prisoners with depression, they were no substitute for ongoing
psychological assessment of the prison population.

The problem is there is a total imbalance between the medical
treatment of prisoners and their psychological well being.

Prisoners are a high risk group vulnerable to psychological
difficulties. What they need is regular medical assessment and an
individualised health plan designed for the duration of their
sentence, he said.