Written answers

Tuesday, 27 September 2016

Department of Justice and Equality

Prison Discipline

Photo of Clare DalyClare Daly (Dublin Fingal, Independent)
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136. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality her plans to eliminate the use of solitary confinement in Irish prisons, which has been consistently been criticised by international human rights periodic reviews. [27528/16]

Photo of Frances FitzgeraldFrances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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I am advised by the Irish Prison Service that there is no provision for solitary confinement in the Irish Prison Service. However, the Deputy will appreciate that, on occasion, it is necessary for vulnerable prisoners and others to be separated from the general prison population.

The restriction of a prisoner's regime can occur due to a number of factors including the protection of vulnerable prisoners. This is provided for under Rule 63 of the Prison Rules 2007. A prisoner may, either at his/her own request or when the Governor considers it necessary, in so far as is practicable and subject to the maintenance and good order and safe and secure custody, be kept separate from other prisoners who are reasonably likely to cause significant harm to him/her.

In addition, the Governor may decide, for the maintenance of good order in the prison, to remove a prisoner from general association or structured activity to reduce the negative effect that a prisoner or prisoners may have on the general population. This is provided for under Rule 62 of the Prison Rules 2007.

The fact that prisoners seeking protection are immediately separated from the general population or from specific prisoners identified as presenting a threat, clearly demonstrates the commitment of the Irish Prison Service to ensure their safety and security. The status of each prisoner on restricted regime within the prison system is regularly reviewed. If possible, prisoners can be transferred to other institutions where a restricted regime would not be necessary.

The Director General of the Irish Prison Service has established a high level group to look at measures which can be introduced to reduce the number of prisoners currently held on restricted regimes with a view to ensuring that all receive, as a minimum standard, out of cell time of 3 hours per day to engage in exercise or activity.

The Irish Prison Service Statistics Unit commenced the collation of a quarterly Census of Restricted Regime Prisoners in 2013. Since the commencement of the survey in July 2013, the number of prisoners on 22/23 hour lock up has decreased by 137 or 65% from 211 to 74.

I can advise the Deputy that the Irish Prison Service publish the Census of Restricted Regime Prisoners on their website (www.irishprisons.ie).

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