THE MINISTER for Justice, Mrs Owen, yesterday officially opened the first phase of Castlerea Prison, which she described as "an entirely different concept" to traditional prisons.
Built to accommodate 25 prisoners initially, the £800,000 special unit comprises domestic style living arrangements in five purpose built houses. Inmates at Castlerea will be accommodated in "rooms" as distinct from cells.
However, the houses are surrounded by a 25 foot high perimeter wall, which cost £2 million and stretches for one mile around the 25 acre prison site. The area will eventually house 125 inmates when work is completed in January, 1998.
Mrs Owen said the new unit opened yesterday - which will eventually accommodate 40 prisoners - would represent a new approach to sentence management when it comes into use in three weeks' time.
She disclosed that those transferred to the new Co Roscommon unit would go through a rigorous selection process. No prisoners would be sent direct from the courts to the unit and, as a general guideline. It would consist of prisoners who were in the "mature age group and who were coming to the and of long sentences.
An emphasis would also be placed on prisoners who came originally from the west of Ireland.
Located in the grounds of the former St Patrick's Psychiatric Hospital, Castlerea represents the first provision of prison spaces west of the Shannon since the foundation of the State.
The Minister said that the prospect of an additional 120 jobs generated by the prison project would represent a tremendous boost to the region's economy.
The people of Castlerea, including the local development committee, and all the public representatives, made their case to have a prison sited here in a most professional, comprehensive and enthusiastic manner.
"I am confident as Minister for Justice that the goodwill of the community will play a most significant part in ensuring the success of the prison project.
Reiterating the Government's commitment to the provision of necessary additional prisons. Mrs Owen said that her Department's £75 million building programme would provide 800 new prison spaces over a 2 1/2 year period.
The programme included 68 spaces at The Curragh, a new 55 unit wing at Limerick Prison, the new 60 place women's prison, the Wheatfield Remand Prison, which would accommodate 400 prisoners, as well as the Castlerea project.
Mrs Owen was accompanied on her visit to Castlerea by the Minister of State, Mr Hugh Coveney, who has responsibility for the Office of Public Works, which is overseeing the project, and by Mr Dan Scannell, governor of Loughlan House detention centre, who will be in charge of the new Castlerea unit.
The main prison, when complete, will include a full range of prisoner education, work training, medical, psychological and recreational facilities.
"This new unit is all about innovation, it is about moving forward within the prison system, and it is about bringing prosperity to a region and town in the west of Ireland which justly deserves it," added the Minister.
The prison governor, Mr Dan Scannell, said that if we were to live in an ordered society we had to have prisons. "We should make no apology for putting people into prisons, but equally we should make no apology for treating them with dignity, respect and humanity".