"Men are sent to prison as a punishment, not for punishment."
Sir Alexander Paterson

Prison Conditions

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Prison conditions are a good indicator of the level of civilisation in a society. The care we take with those in the custody of the State says a great deal about our general attitude to the marginalised, the poor and the socially excluded. In his autobiography, Nelson Mandela, a prisoner for much of his life, described how:

"... no one truly knows a nation until one has been inside its jails. A nation should be judged not by how it treats its highest citizens, but its lowest ones".

The overuse of custody in Ireland means that many prisoners are required to share their cells. The worst example is probably Cloverhill, the Remand Assessment Centre in Dublin, which opened in 1999. This brand new institution is designed to be overcrowded. Three men will be packed into small cells, measuring less than eleven square metres. This makes a mockery of the government's claim that new prisons are "built to the highest standards possible".

Overcrowding is concentrated in particular locations, notably Cork, Limerick, Mountjoy and the Curragh. Some institutions hold only the number of prisoners they were designed for (Arbour Hill and Fort Mitchel), while others - particularly the open centres (Loughan House, Shanganah Castle and Shelton Abbey) - tend to be underused.

Prisoners should be accommodated in single cells, except under exceptional circumstances. A legal limit should be set for the number of people a prison can hold. This limit should be strictly enforced. Overcrowding is associated with dissatisfaction and disruption. It has been identified as one cause of prison riots. It is impossible to provide decent regimes in crowded conditions.

The accommodation for women in Limerick prison can only be described as decrepit and depressing. During its visit in 1993 the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture was very critical of the physical conditions in this establishment. It is not fit for human habitation and should be shut down at once.

The Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform's Strategy Statement 1998-2000 is full of lofty aspirations. It declares that:

"The Department aims to provide and maintain a secure, efficient, and progressive system of containment and rehabilitation for offenders committed to custody, and to treat offenders while in custody with care, justice, dignity and respect bearing in mind standards laid down in international instruments". This is not happening at present and the Department must be made to live up to its own rhetoric.

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