Written answers

Tuesday, 14 July 2020

Department of Justice and Equality

Prisoner Data

Photo of Catherine ConnollyCatherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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943. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of recorded self-harm incidents in prisons by gender from 12 March 2020 to date in 2020; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15536/20]

Photo of Helen McEnteeHelen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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I am advised by the Irish Prison Service that there were 36 reported incidents of self harm across the prison estate from 12 March 2020 to the end of June 2020. I am further informed that 33 of these reported incidents occurred within the male prison population and three within the female population. It is important to note that these are provisional figures as the full analysis of such incidents has not yet begun.

I would like to assure the Deputy that provision of safe and secure custody and dignity of care to persons in the penal system in Ireland is a priority for me as Minister and for the Irish Prison Service. Safe and secure custody is one of the key pillars of the Prison Service Strategic Plan 2019-2022.

The Irish Prison Service has during the Covid-19 pandemic introduced a number of new initiatives to assist and safeguard the welfare of those in custody. Measures to allow prisoners maintain contact with families and benefit from family support include:

- provision of additional phone calls for prisoners;

- introduction of Electronic Funds Transfer and An Post Bill Pay service to allow families to continue to lodge money to prisoner accounts; and

- introduction of virtual visits, through the installation of video phone facilities in all prisons to allow for video-calls with families.

In addition, a national telephone helpline has been established to support access for prisoners to IASIO Resettlement, Chaplaincy, Psychology and Merchants Quay Ireland by telephone.

I can further inform the Deputy that the Prison Service Psychology Service provides a platform to listen and support prisoners to mind their psychological well-being. I am informed that the Psychology Service has adapted its services to ensure ongoing support to prisoners and that tele-psychology has been introduced to all prisoners in custody. This typically consists of 20 minute telephone sessions. Support may be offered within the framework of Psychological First Aid or within other relevant psychological frameworks. The goal is to help prisoners feel safe, reduce stress, restore rest and sleep, and connect them to social support.

Photo of Catherine ConnollyCatherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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944. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of successful family video visits per prison that have taken place for prisoners and their families since the measure was introduced as an alternative to prison visits during the Covid-19 pandemic; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15537/20]

Photo of Helen McEnteeHelen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy will appreciate, in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic a range of measures including restrictions on access to prisons have required to protect our prison population, in line with public health advice.

While physical family visits to prisons were suspended on 27 March 2020, I understand that the Prison Service introduced a number of new initiatives to allow families to continue to communicate and support those in custody including:

- provision of additional phone calls for prisoners;

- introduction of Electronic Funds Transfer and An Post Bill Pay service to allow families to continue to lodge money to prisoner accounts; and

- introduction of virtual visits, through the installation of video phone facilities in all prisons to allow for video-calls with families.

I am informed that feedback from prisoners and families that have used the new video visits system successfully has been very positive.

Given that this was a new service, and particularly given that it was introduced as a result of the Covid-19 restrictions, I understand there were a number of challenges and technical issues at the outset with some connections. A dedicated helpline for the families of prisoners who were experiencing difficulty in connecting to a scheduled video call was established and is still in operation.

I am informed by the Irish Prison Service in the last six weeks, an average of 1,647 video calls per week have been scheduled, with an 87% success rate. Reasons for unsuccessful calls include a breakdown in the line, end user issues and broadband connections.

I am informed that while video visits began on 11 April 2020, statistics are available only from 26 May 2020.Details of the number of family visits via video link between 26 May and 7 July 2020, as furnished to me by the Prison Service, are set out in the following table.

Location Number of Scheduled Calls Number of Successful Calls Number of Unsuccessful Calls
Arbour Hill 312 289 23
Castlerea 437 383 54
Cloverhill 665 581 84
Cork 663 597 66
Dochas 482 439 43
Limerick 692 575 117
Loughan House 194 163 31
Midlands 2375 2165 210
Mountjoy 952 815 137
Portlaoise 867 787 80
Shelton Abbey 262 236 26
Wheatfield 1978 1567 411
Total 9879 8597 1282

Finally, I note that the Irish Prison Service has outlined plans for a phased recommencement of physical family visits to prisons commencing on Monday 20 July 2020. Visits will recommence on a phased basis and movement through the phases will be subject to ongoing risk assessment and will take account latest public health advice, the range of Government restrictions in place and other factors including the prevailing transmission rate in the community.

In addition, given the success of the video visits system, I understand that the Prison Service intends to continue to offer video visits for families and friends and hopes to continue to enhance this new service in the future.

Photo of Catherine ConnollyCatherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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945. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number and percentage of persons in prison on a weekly basis during the Covid-19 pandemic cocooning, quarantining and self-isolating; if a description of each associated regime will be provided; the number of hours spent out of cell of each; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15538/20]

Photo of Helen McEnteeHelen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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In the context of the Covid-19 pandemic and as the Deputy will appreciate, a wide range of measures have been required to protect our prison population, in line with public health advice. I have previously set out detail on the measures adopted to address the risk presented by Covid-19 in a prison environment, guided by the advice of NPHET and consistent with the prison-specific guidance of the World Health Organisation (WHO). Measures adopted included:

-- reduction of prisoner numbers through use of temporary release of low-risk prisoners, following case-by-case assessment;

-- introduction of a basic health check, including taking of temperatures for all persons, including staff, entering prisons from 29 March;

-- suspension of physical family visits, replaced by video visits;

-- quarantining for 14 days of all newly committed prisoners; isolation of suspected case or prisoners with symptoms; and “cocooning” of vulnerable prisoners;

-- comprehensive training for IPS staff and the provision of appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) across the prison estate; and

-- establishment of a robust contract tracing model which has been acknowledged by the WHO as best practice.

I am pleased to say that to date there has been no prisoner case of Covid-19 in Irish prisons. Nevertheless the risk continues and must be managed.

In relation to the categories of prisoners referred to by the Deputy, I can say the following.

First, in relation to cocooning: in line with the position at the time in the wider community, the Prison Service operated a regime whereby all prisoners aged 70 years or more and prisoners deemed medically vulnerable due to specific serious underlying medical conditions were cocooned in the prisons in which they were detained. These cocooning prisoners were removed from free association, but could associate with one another in dedicated areas. I am informed that the practice of cocooning has now ceased in prisons, in line with the general easing of relevant public health restrictions in the community. However prisoners formerly cocooning were offered the option of a restricted regime at their own request.

In relation to isolation, I am advised that any prisoner who informs staff that they are experiencing symptoms of Covid-19 is immediately assessed by prison healthcare staff, who arrange for the prisoner to be isolated and tested. I am further informed that any prisoner who has had contact with another person who has been tested for Covid-19 and is awaiting results is also isolated from the prison population, while they are tested and awaiting the results of said test.

In addition, all prisoners newly committed to prison are placed in quarantine for 14 days before being transferred into general population. This measure is in place to reduce the risk that a new committal who might be incubating the virus could spread Covid-19 into the general prison population.

I am informed by the Prison Service that it is not possible to provide a breakdown of the out-of-cell hours for each of these groups of prisoners, as they vary on a daily basis and for a variety of reasons including for example the number of prisoners involved, the number of staff available, and differences in physical layout of each prison.

However I am advised that any prisoners who were cocooning as well as those in quarantine continue to have access to a wide range of services and facilities within the prison. These facilities include psychological support, phone calls, television, tuck shop and chaplaincy services. I understand that particular efforts have also been made to ensure that prisoners could communicate with their families, through increased provision of telephone services and video visits. The Deputy will appreciate that for medical and infection control reasons, those prisoners in isolation due to suspected or symptoms of infection were on a more restrictive form of regime, while the testing process was completed.

The Irish Prison Service began to collate specific figures of the type referred to by the Deputy from 27 April 2020 onwards. The following table, furnished to me by the Irish Prison Service sets out the details requested by the Deputy for the period from 27 April to 3 July 2020 (percentages rounded).

Photo of Catherine ConnollyCatherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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946. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the daily average number of hours the mainstream prison population were held in their cells in April, May and June 2020; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15539/20]

Photo of Helen McEnteeHelen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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The provision of safe and secure custody and dignity of care to persons in the penal system in Ireland is a priority for me as Minister and for the Irish Prison Service.

The Deputy will appreciate that a wide range of measures were necessary to address the particular risks posed by the Covid-19 pandemic in the context of prisons. The measures adopted by the Prison Service were in keeping with the advice of NPET and the prison-specific guidance of the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Some of these measures included cocooning of vulnerable prisoners and isolation of prisoners in circumstances including display of symptoms of the virus. These and other measures adopted on the context of the pandemic can be expected to have had an impact on the out of cell times of some prisoners.

However I am informed by the Irish Prison Service that it does not hold information in the particular format requested by the Deputy and that it is not possible to provide exact figures on the out-of-cell time in each prison, as this may change on a daily basis.

For the Deputy's information, the following table, furnished to me by the Irish Prison Service, sets out indicative out-of-cell times for the general prison population across the prison estate.

Prison Indicative out-of-cell times for the general prison population
Arbour Hill 8
Castlerea 5
Cloverhill 5.4
Cork 5
Limerick 8
Loughan House Full day out-of-cell time
Midlands 5.5
Mountjoy Male 4.5
Mountjoy Female 5
Portlaoise 6
Shelton Abbey Full day out-of-cell time
Wheatfield 7

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