Prison officers make sexual harassment disclosures
Five prison officers have come forward to make sexual harassment protected disclosure complaints since last summer amid concerns over the safety of staff in their workplace.
The Irish Prison Service confirmed the protected disclosures have been made since July 2018, in addition to four other cases which are currently being examined by officials.
In a 22-page letter to the Dáil’s Public Accounts Committee responding to TD questions, the Irish Prison Service said it is aware of nine sexual harassment complaints in the past two years.
“There are currently four cases of alleged sexual harassment under review within the Irish Prison Service. One case commenced in 2017 and the remaining three in 2018. Since July 2018 when the revised protected disclosure policy was introduced, the prison service has received five protected disclosures,” the letter read.
The revelations are likely to lead to fresh concerns over the safety of staff in Irish prisons, and the culture within the prison workforce.
In the same letter, the Irish Prison Service also confirmed that 250 prisoners are “ordinarily” receiving care for mental health and drug addiction.
The letter also said that between 61% and 79% of the prison population has some form of alcohol or drug addiction.
However, it added this mental health and addiction information is based on records that are up to 16 years old.
“The national forensic mental health services has confirmed its current caseload includes up to 250 patients who are ordinarily in the custody of the Irish Prison Service. Information on the level of mental health conditions in the prison population is derived from studies done in 2003 and 2005,” it read.
