A REPORT into addiction treatment at Limerick Prison paints a disturbing picture of the drug problem there, a charity that supports families of prisoners said yesterday.
The study was commissioned by the Limerick-based Bedford Row Family Project and conducted by DCU researchers. They found no officially recorded figures on the extent of illicit drug use in Limerick Prison, but reports from inmates and staff indicated that 80 per cent of the prison population have used drugs in prison.
Many staff interviewed believed prisoners had easy access to illicit drugs. Prisoners reported drugs being available in all prison wings. All groups said it was relatively easy to bring drugs into the prison and that sanctions were a minor deterrent. Cannabis use in Limerick Prison seemed to be tolerated by most groups.
The research, which took place between 2005 and 2007, found sporadic access to treatment in prison and a lack of co-ordination between prison release and engagement with addiction services.
Jim Sheehan, chairman of the Bedford Row Family Project, said: “It is disturbing in the picture it presents of the depth and gravity of the drug problem within Limerick Prison and of the sense of despair this can and has generated within the prison community as a whole.”
The report makes 17 recommendations to assist the HSE, the Irish Prison Service and other agencies in providing drug treatment.
