Green Party calls for action on continuing Mountjoy Prison crisis

Press Release: Justice 16 May 2007

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16 May 2007

Green Party calls for action on continuing Mountjoy Prison crisis

Green Party Justice spokesperson Ciarán Cuffe TD has raised serious concerns at conditions at Mountjoy Prison in Dublin, following a recent spate of violent attacks at the prison and continued overcrowding.

Deputy Cuffe said: "There has been a huge increase in violence in recent months in Mountjoy Prison, including an incident where a prisoner was viciously attacked and lost six pints of blood. Overcrowding in Mountjoy remains a cause for extreme concern. This problem has not been alleviated since the crisis period of the summer of 2006. Mountjoy Prison has a bed capacity of 454, but last night the prison accommodated over 541 inmates.

"70 inmates in the prison are currently 'on protection'. This should mean that they are accommodated in single cells, but there is a significant amount of cell sharing, even for prisoners on protection. Put quite simply, this is a recipe for disaster and another death such as the tragic killing of Gary Douche is a real possibility. The reopening of the Curragh Prison in County Kildare would immediately ease the pressure on Mountjoy and make it a safer and more humane place for inmates and staff alike."

Ciarán Cuffe is a TD for the Dún Laoghaire Dáil Constituency. Ciarán can be contacted at Dáil Éireann, Kildare Street, Dublin 2 or 96 Patrick Street, Dún Laoghaire Tel. 284 6060 or 618 3082, Fax 618 4341, Email Ciaran CiaranCuffe.com, or Text Ciaran on 087 265 2075.