Clare Daly (Dublin Fingal, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Yes. These are the highest category. Rule 63 allows people to voluntarily go to the prison governor and the latest figure gives 389 as the number of people who have done so. The vast majority would be in a gang and there would be a security risk, that is a risk to their well-being as a result of the criminal activity for which they were serving time. Some, however, have deep mental health problems and do not want to be around others. If somebody asks to be removed from human contact the medical view would be that it would be a serious indication of underlying problems. It is sometimes a prison management issue but it should not be.