The Irish Penal Reform Trust claims that the current overcrowding in prisons is exacerbating the struggle for prisoners to address their addiction issues. The organisation’s executive director, Saoirse Brady, spoke on RTÉ radio’s Morning Ireland, indicating that prisons are presently under significant strain due to a record high prison population and a penal system functioning at 112 percent capacity.
She particularly highlighted the situation at Portlaoise prison – a facility where 10 inmates had been rushed to the hospital after suspected drug overdoses, and which was operating at 107 percent capacity for the week. Brady noted that due to the overcrowded conditions, prisoners are compelled to share cells, often sleeping on mattresses or near toilets, thereby amplifying the stress on the penal system.
Brady underscored the inherently traumatic nature of prison life, emphasizing that the currently high overcrowding levels amplify the stress. Within the system, 2,000 individuals are awaiting mental health treatment. Brady also noted that many prisoners often find themselves back in jail because they fall prey to the same behaviour patterns. She suggested that increased resources in communities to address addiction and mental health could avoid individuals reaching a crisis point.
Brady also underlined that prisons are a concentrated representation of wider society. In her view, the factors which lead to drug and substance misuse in everyday life are heightened within the prison environment, where there are limited means of escape. Overcrowding forces facilities to close amenities such as gyms and schools, which normally serve as outlets that help inmates to rechannel their focus and alter their life paths.
Lastly, Brady acknowledged that recommendations had been made by the Office of the Inspector of Prisons, following a death in a prison earlier in the year. However, the prison authorities had indicated that they could only implement recommendations that were operationally viable.