The sale of Shanganagh Prison in south Co Dublin, which was "now imminent", would remove one of the last "stepping stones" for young offenders to return to ordinary society, the Prison Officers' Association said yesterday.
The association insisted that of the three prisons - Loughan House in Co Cavan, Shelton Abbey in Co Wicklow and Shanganagh Castle in south Co Dublin - earmarked for possible closure, Shanganagh was the most vulnerable.
But it said that while the closure of the facility for 16 to 21- year-old, low-risk, male offenders would be "disturbing" for the prison officers involved, it would be a disaster for juveniles who wanted to avoid going to an adult prison and returning to a life involving crime.
Just 20 juvenile prisoners are currently housed at Shanganagh, which can accommodate about 60 such young men. The Minister for Justice, Mr McDowell, speaking in the light of the Budget Estimates for 2003, has indicated that he is considering selling one of the three prisons to rationalise the system.
However, according to Mr Eugene Dennehy, POA deputy general secretary, the decision to close and sell Shanganagh is likely to announced in coming days.
Mr Dennehy told The Irish Times that on November 18th, there were 585 juvenile prisoners in the system, many of whom would have been seeking places in Shanganagh.
Since July 22nd last, some 90 prisoners had been declared as suitable for sending to Shanganagh but just 50 had been sent. Most of these had now left the system altogether, but he was convinced that more suitable juveniles were being kept away from Shanganagh "because it is being allowed to run down".
The other two prisons, Shelton Abbey and Loughan House, which housed males in their late teens, also housed adult males and were unsuitable for juveniles who wanted to avoid returning to the prison system. "It is their last chance and it is being done away with purely because it is worth the most money.
"The decision makes no sense in terms of the provision of an effective prison service, in which rehabilitation is a core value. The Minister knows our views on the matter, and we again ask him to rethink this flawed policy".
The Department has indicated that either Loughan House, on 30 acres in Co Cavan; Shelton Abbey on 80 acres in Co Wicklow or Shanganagh Castle on 24 acres would be sold as part of its efforts to meet its 2003 Budget estimates.
The castle and its grounds occupy one of the last remaining green belts between Bray and Dún Laoghaire.
