Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan has confirmed that overcrowding in Irish prisons is “unquestionably” a serious issue, amid continuing uncertainty over the future of the Thornton Hall site.
Speaking in a Seanad exchange yesterday with Independent Senator Sharon Keogan, the Fianna Fáil Minister said the Government recognised the urgent need to increase prison capacity, calling Thornton Hall an “important part” of plans to address the overcrowding “crisis.”
“We have an overcrowding crisis in our prisons,” O’Callaghan said.
“It was there last year, it was there when I arrived and it is there at present.”
Senator Keogan pressed the Minister on plans for a previously proposed “super prison” at Thornton Hall, expressing frustration at delays and highlighting the “inhumane conditions” prisoners face due to overcrowding, with hundreds of inmates currently without proper bed space.
“The overcrowding in prisons is nothing short of a crisis,” she said.
“The latter represents a 40% increase since January. This continues to lead to inhumane conditions where prisoners are sleeping on mattresses on floors and the risk of violence and health issues is ever present.”
Keogan criticised the Government for the significant delays and “gross mismanagement” associated with the Thornton Hall project, which has cost taxpayers €50 million to date without any construction beginning.
“Previously, I have highlighted the staggering costs associated with this project,” she said.
“Besides the price of the land, we have spent €114,000 over the past three years alone on what is effectively an empty site, yet we still have nothing to show for it. This is gross mismanagement of taxpayers’ money.
“We need a clear timeline for the construction and delivery of Thornton Hall prison. The Government must commit to completing this project and ensuring that our prison system can operate effectively and humanely. I call on the Minister for Justice to provide a definite answer on when Thornton Hall will be built. We cannot continue to ignore the pressing issue of prison overcrowding. It is time for decisive action to ensure that our justice system functions as it should.”
She also said that “The latest proposal to convert part of the site into an international protection accommodation centre is a clear indication of Government’s failure to prioritise our prison system.”
“We have a revolving door system and we do not have enough prison spaces. I wish the Minister well and want to see this delivered in his time.”
The Minister clarified that a recent ministerial order allowing part of Thornton Hall to be used for international protection accommodation had been revoked, but that a new order might be developed in the coming months.
“The Department had revoked the ministerial order put in place for the Thornton Hall site and that there were plans to develop a replacement order in the coming months,” O’Callaghan said.
“In terms of Thornton Hall being used as a prison, it is unquestionably the case that we need further prison space. That is why the programme for Government commits to providing 1,500 new spaces. Part of that will have to be the construction of a new prison. Thornton Hall appears to be a viable option as a location for the construction of that new prison.
“These things, I hate to say, take considerable periods of time… We also need to look at solutions in terms of developing immediate spots and spaces for our Prison Service. That is ongoing. The Irish Prison Service is doing very good work in that regard but it is not a quick fix, I regret to say, in terms of resolving the overcrowding crisis.”
Thornton Hall was originally purchased by the State in 2004 for €29 million to build a new prison intended to replace Mountjoy Jail. However, the project has stalled for more than two decades, and recent attempts to use part of the land for international protection accommodation were halted due to a High Court judicial review, prompted by local residents citing environmental concerns.
According to recent Irish Prison Service figures, the national prison system is at 111% capacity, with prisons such as Limerick Female Prison at 152% capacity, Dochas Women’s Prison at 121%, and Cork Prison at 118%.