Victor Boyhan: Urgent concerns over Mountjoy prisons

Thank you. I would like to thank the Minister for coming to the House today. Initially I asked for this debate in the House based on the follow-up inspection for the Mountjoy prisons 28th of April 2025 to the 2nd of May 2025 and I want to reference that here today because I think it's important. This document was laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas in March of this year and therefore you know it presents an opportunity for us of course to raise it in these Houses. I think what's interesting is and I'm not going to go into the litany of abuse that have been set out in here, also the photographic evidence in the full report. So Minister I just want to say that's important and I want to thank you for that and I want to thank you for coming here to listen. I want to acknowledge and to thank Mr Mark Kelly, the Chief Inspector of Prisons, who drew up with that report and made arrangements for it to be laid before these Houses. I refer to his follow-up inspection of Mountjoy, the report specifically Mountjoy, which you have a copy now in front of you, and I want to also acknowledge the importance of the excellent public service broadcasting of Conor Ryan and RTE Investigates documentary shown on the 9th and 10th of February 2026 which was also raised by me in this House and which exposed the failures of the Ireland's mental health system. The RTE Programme Minister, I'm sure you may have seen it, highlights how people in urgent need of psychiatric care are often placed in prison cells rather than receiving the appropriate hospital and community mental health based care that they deserve. We know of cases involving people dying in custody after being turned away from mental health services demonstrates that there is an urgent need for practical and alternative systemic reforms. I also want to acknowledge my colleague here, Senator Lynne Ruan, who's really been a very powerful and strong advocate in this space and has brought a lot of her knowledge, her understanding to the proceedings of this House and I want to put on record my thanks. She's not here now but to thank her for that. So going back then to, I also want to acknowledge I think it's important at this stage, the Irish Penal Reform Trust and the Executive Director, Saoirse Brady, and their organisation continues to advocate for a more just, humane and effective criminal justice system and I think that's important that their work is always of course based on research, advocacy and engagement and I think that was important to note in this event. Following the publication of the reports by the Chief Inspector of Prisons back in the 15th of January of 2026, Minister, you will be aware that a press release was issued by the Irish Penal Reform Trust. The five OIP reports were based on inspections carried out in Mountjoy prison, the training unit at Mountjoy, the Cork prison, the Clover Hill prison and the Docus Centre between 2022 and 2023. They reveal widespread issues including poor conditions, mistreatment of prisoners, overuse of restrictive regimes and solitary confinement and significant failures in accountability, record-keeping and complaint systems. The IAPRT also highlights the unacceptable sanitary conditions, you'll see that in that report in front of you, and the lack of access to basic necessities and I'm deeply concerned of these practices particularly in the Docus Centre and the reports that have come from there are seriously disturbing with also mention of the use of a restrictive lock back regime, that clearly is unacceptable. We must have a basic level of human rights and I think you would agree Minister, I know you've set out the difficulties, I understand some of those difficulties as well. Minister, many of the issues identified remain ongoing and in some cases have worsened or escalated since that report was published, particularly in the overcrowding sector. There is a need for urgent action including measures to improve conditions for prisoners and the need to strengthen independent oversight to ensure the detention conditions meet basic standards of what are basically requirements, dignity and human rights. I wish also finally in wrapping up, I want to acknowledge the very significant and important work of the Jesuit Centre of Faith and Justice, JDF, which runs regular commentary on penal reform and social justice and indeed I want to finish by this, I want to acknowledge the very significant work of the chaplaincy, the prison chaplaincy service, who have a very good and strong engagement role and they're respected too because they have that unique contact and access to people held in detention within our prison services. Thank you very much Minister for your time, thank you for responding to the invitation which was extended some weeks ago but to come here because I think it's an important one and particularly pleased as always that it's you, the lead minister, coming to engage with us and I think on behalf of all senators we greatly respect that hands-on approach and that direct contact with us. Thank you.