McDowell says prisons' padded cells shocked him

The Minister for Justice has told the Dáil of his shock at the conditions of padded cells in Irish prisons. Mr McDowell said he had seen a man in his 40s lying in a foetal position, with a pot beside him.

"The cell in question was about the size of an outsized refrigerator," the Minister added. The "classic" kind of padded cell "are the size of enlarged telephone booths, the walls are grey and there is a pilot light in the ceiling".

Since then, six new cells have been completed in Cloverhill Prison, with larger windows, improved lighting, a communication system, a television where possible, in-cell sanitation and improved quality mattresses, blankets and beds. The Minister plans for similar cells across the prison service. He also told the Dáil that padded cells were used 792 times to date this year.

Mr Dan Neville (FG, Limerick West) said that isolation cells were totally unsuitable for mentally-ill prisoners. He said 78 per cent of prisoners using the cells had a psychiatric condition and such confinement resulted in random violence, self-harm and suicidal behaviour.

Mr McDowell agreed this was not an appropriate medium- or long-term solution, and he was anxious to ensure that acutely psychiatrically-ill patients were transferred to proper care units in the Central Mental Hospital.