New jail plans driven by money, claim prison officers
Plans for a new prison on the outskirts of Dublin to replace Mountjoy jail are motivated by money and not the welfare of prisoners, it was claimed today.
The Prison Officers Association (POA) said the move was both worrying and ridiculous and was being considered purely for financial gain.
The Irish Penal Reform Trust (IPRT) said Government claims that the move would safeguard prisoners’ human rights was nothing more than a spin tactic.
An expert group made up of representatives from the Irish Prison Service, the Office of Public Works and Government officials is assessing several 100 acre sites near Dublin for the new prison.
It is understood only six possible sites remain on the shortlist.
POA spokesman Nigel Mallen said the Government should look at modernising the ageing jail instead of moving out of the city.
“The POA soundly advocates that Mountjoy Prison should be revamped and modernised in its present location,” Mr Mallen said.
“We must be mindful between €70m and €100m has been spent on the Mountjoy complex in recent years. For the current plans to go ahead unchanged this can only be seen as a complete waste of a huge amount of taxpayers’ money.”
The Mountjoy site is believed to be worth around 30 million euro and the cost of a new jail would easily be met by selling the prison.
Mr Mallen added the POA had not been consulted over the possible move.
Rick Lines, IPRT executive director, claimed the reasons given for replacing the 150-year-old prison with a modern facility were ill-conceived .
He said the Government was using the issue of human rights as the basis for the move and called on the Government to look at ways of reducing the prison population instead of creating 1,000 extra spaces.
“Our concern is why does Ireland need to increase its prison population. It is not a sensible idea and not a sensible use of money,” Mr Lines said.
“Mountjoy has been condemned time and time again but we don’t accept the spin by the Department of Justice that building the new prison is a humanitarian responsibility.”
Mr Lines said the new facility would make Ireland the fourth largest incarcerator per capita in western Europe even though crime rates are among the lowest.
And he said plans for the new jail near Dublin and on Spike Island off the coast of Cork would raise the prison population by around 25%.
A spokesman for the Irish Prisons Service (IPS) confirmed six sites were being looked at in more detail.
It is believed the sites are green field areas selected for their isolation and will also be home to the Central Mental Hospital which may be moved from its Dundrum location.
The landlocked Mountjoy site in north inner city Dublin built in 1850 comprises four sectors. A male and female prison, St Patrick’s Institute for young offenders and a training area.
But Justice Minister Michael McDowell has said the ageing prison fell so far short of modern standards that replacement was the only option. And he added this view was backed by the Prison Board and the Inspector of Prisons and Places of Detention.
An IPS spokesman said the major problem with Mountjoy was the absence of in-cell sanitation and the continuing practice of slopping out.
“The cost of refurbishment and upgrading would be colossal, selecting a new site would be far cheaper and far more beneficial to the tax payer,” the spokesman said.
“They (the group) raised different expressions of interest and some are worth exploring in more detail and some are not. The group have narrowed it down to half a dozen sites and they are being looked at in much more detail.”
A Government spokeswoman said there was huge interest from landowners near the capital but refused to comment on possible sites for the commercially sensitive move.
The spokeswoman added Mr McDowell was awaiting a report from the expert group on proposals for the new site before plans for the move would put before Cabinet.
