EURO REPORT ON PRISON SYSTEM WITHHELD

THE Government has withheld a hard hitting report on the Irish prison
system carried out by a European action group almost six months ago.

The Council of Europe Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT)
submitted the report to the Department of Justice last April.

The Irish Penal Reform Trust (IRPT) has called on the Government to
immediately release the report, saying they are obliged to do so after
six months. “I know the CPT were seriously concerned about services in
the prisons. We are calling for the release of the report and a
response from the Government to it,” IRPT Chairperson Valerie
Bresnihan said.

The last CPT report in 1993 highlighted the unfair treatment of
prisoners. “The experience of ill treatment of prisoners at Mountjoy
and Limerick prisons was openly acknowledged by some senior officers
in the establishment. In some prisons, certain officers have a
propensity to ill treatment of prisoners,” it said. It is not known
what findings were reached in the report submitted last April.

A spokesperson for the Department of Justice said the CPT report was a
confidential document, adding the Government would decide when to
publish it before the end of the year.

The IPRT has also restated their demand for the appointment of a full
time prison inspector. The group believes this appointment would bring
a level of transparency and accountability to the prison service.

Along with the human rights issues, the IRPT are worried about the
extraordinary costs of the Irish prison service.

It says the current annual cost of pounds 43,000 per prisoner is one
of the most expensive in Europe. These costs, says the IRPT, yield
almost no rehabilitation or quality medical services. “There are
questions of the effective use of taxpayers money,” Ms Bresnihan said.

The IRPT also wants better training for prison officers and a complete
overhaul of the psychiatric and general medical services.

Its recommendations are contained in an information pack launched as
part of the production of Cell, a new play by Paula Meehan.

The pack contains information on the current state of Irish prisons
along with making the recommendations for change. It will be used to
raise public awareness about the prison system in Ireland.

The play focuses on the lives of four female prisoners and gives
insight into the tangled relationship between drugs and crime.

The play was commissioned and produced by Calypso Productions, a
theatre company, which specialises in productions dealing with human
rights issues.

“Usually the play will have the theme running through it but it’s not
too heavy handed, said Calypso’s Maria Fleming.