Prison inspectors have warned the Minister for Justice it is ridiculous to send people to jail for failing to pay a fine, it was revealed tonight.
In a report to Dermot Ahern, a special panel branded Mountjoy Prison overcrowded, unsafe, unhygienic and called on law makers to solve the problem of thousands of debtors being locked up.
The nine strong visiting committee said it refused to accept judges cannot be asked to look for an alternative.
“There continues to be a constant stream of fines committals, taking up inordinate amounts of time and effort. This situation is ridiculous and must cease,” the committee said.
The committee said the Irish Prisons Service (IPS) continues to accept inmates from courts, without question, into unsafe, unhygienic and overcrowded conditions.
“We cannot accept that nobody can liaise with the judiciary on this issue,” the committee said. “Previously we pointed out that incarcerating people to these conditions is a punishment additional to the intended deprivation of freedom intended by the courts.
“Again we must ask that alternatives to custody be found for offences not considered serious enough for a custodial sentence.
“Legislators must assist in producing answers to this huge problem. There are still thousands of warrants for non-payment of fines in Garda stations awaiting execution,” members said.
The Department of Justice said Mr Ahern brought in new laws on alternatives to jail for debt in June.
A spokeswoman also said Mr Ahern will shortly bring proposed legislation to Government requiring judges to consider using community service instead of a six-month prison sentence.
In a separate report, the Inspector of Prisons, Judge Michael Reilly, warned overcrowding was an acute problem in Irish jails.
He said he accepted the Government had limited resources and must prioritise but insisted neither of these should be accepted as an excuse for depriving prisoners of basic human rights other than those removed by law.
Judge Reilly said a degree of overcrowding could be accepted but only if there a definite time frame to solving the crisis.
In a review of Mountjoy for 2009, the committee opened its report warning that not much has changed in the last 14 years. “The regime remains largely the same,” it said.
“Still chronically overcrowded, vermin infested, more drugs in the prison than sweets in the tuck shop, filthy facilities and no structured approach to a prisoner’s day.”
Elsewhere, the Committee warned that special observation cells were regularly used as accommodation and in the ground floor base wings a fifth of prisoners were recorded at one time sleeping on the floor among vermin and cockroaches.
It warned: “A decent regime for all is essential. The 2007 prison rules governing custodial care in Mountjoy cannot continue to be broken.”
Judge Reilly also warned on the inconsistent use of so-called special cells, which replaced old isolation units, time-out and padded cells or assessment cells. He found no general clear policy for the use of such cells, while prison staff had only recorded minimal information.
Inspectors said that in July 2010 there were 4,478 prisoners in Irish prisons.
Brian Purcell, director general of the Irish Prisons Service, said nine of the 10 visiting reports were very positive. He said there were a number of programmes and strategies in place to tackle overcrowding, contraband and older institutions. He said that significant improvements have been made since visits and inspections took place.
PA