The head of the Irish Prison Service has rejected criticisms from Kathleen McMahon, who resigned as governor of the Dóchas Centre because of the “serious undermining” of her position
Ms McMahon, the governor of Ireland's only female prison, officially leaves her post on May 21st after 10 years as governor and 33 years in the prison service.
In her resignation letter to the prison service authorities, Ms McMahon said her role had been made “completely impossible” in recent months.
The Irish Prison Service said Ms McMahon had notified Mr Brian Purcell of her intention to retire, effective from May 21st, 2010, from the service on the April 31st. In giving this notification, the service said Ms McMahon raised a numbers of issues in relation to the Dóchas Centre.
"The director general expressed his disappointment that she had not discussed the matter with him prior to notifying him of her intention," the statement said, adding Mr Purcell does not agree with the governor's viewpoint as outlined in The Irish Times.
Speaking earlier today, Mr Purcell said he was "most surprised" to see her resignation in The Irish Times this morning.
He said Ms McMahon had done an excellent job in the Dóchas Centre, but he denied she had been undermined, particularly on a decision to put bunk beds into rooms designed for one prisoner and said there had been consultation with her on the issue.
"I've two options: hold prisoners or release them. The reason bunk beds were introduced in the Dóchas Centre was that I had a situation in Limerick prison where I was forced to accommodate three prisoners in single cells in conditions that are nowhere near as good as the Dóchas Centre."
Mr Purcell also refused to accept Ms McMahon's belief that the overcrowding at the centre would see issues such as self-mutilation, bullying, depression, and lesbianism return. This belief was in part due in part to the good work Ms McMahon had done, he said.
Speaking on RTÉ's News at One, the Irish prisons chief said facilities in the centre were up to best international practice standards. "It's well capable of dealing with numbers over and above its official bed capacity . . . in my view bunk beds are a better alternative than putting mattresses on the floor or releasing prisoners back into the community who might represent a threat to public safety."
Responding to Ms McMahon's claims that large numbers of women being jailed in the Dóchas Centre were low risk, Mr Purcell said: "I don't make the call on who is committed to custody - that's a matter for the courts."
Mr Purcell said the prison service had frequently said Mountjoy conditions were "far from ideal," adding this was the purpose behind the new prison at Thornton. "The issue will be deal with by providing modern, up-to-date prison accommodation."
Earlier today, former lord mayor of Dublin Eibhlin Byrne said the resignation was a loss for the prison,said today. Ms Byrne, who is chair of the Dóchas Visiting Committee said Ms McMahon was an “exemplary” civil servant.
Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, Ms Byrne said she understood the reasons behind Ms McMahon's resignation: "Kathy has run a very good ship over those years. She's provided a very very good service to the people," she said.
By not running a prison properly you are leaving yourself wide open to problems, Ms Byrne said, adding: “We’ve taken 10 years to build up a good women’s prison which attempts to rehabilitate women, to send them back out as better people so they’re an asset to society not a burden”.
The National Women’s Council of Ireland has called on Minister for Justice Dermot Ahern to address the “shocking issues” raised by Ms McMahon in her resignation letter.
“Kathleen McMahon has a deep understanding of the needs of women prisoners and she has run the Dóchas Centre in a humane and progressive way in the interests of the women who are sent there and of the society they come from,” said Susan McKay, director of the NWCI.
The criticisms Ms McMahon made are profound, and the fact that she feels she can no longer stand over the regime there is appalling, Ms McKay added.
Fine Gael spokesman for justice Charlie Flanagan called on the Government to introduce full-body scanners to screen visitors to prevent mobile phones and other contraband including drugs from being smuggled in and to use Community Service as the sanction for minor offences rather than incarceration.
Mr Flanagan said it was “very significant” for a person of Ms McMahon’s standing and experience within the Irish prison system to be so explicit in her criticism of conditions that staff and prisoners are being subjected to.
“I have consistently made the point that unless radical action is taken and prison capacity is increased, fatal incidents inside our prison walls will become inevitable,” he added.
Labour Senator Ivana Bacik said the problems highlighted by Ms McMahon, including chronic overcrowding and the imprisonment of large numbers of women, who are so low risk they should never have been jailed in the first place, raised serious questions about how Irish prisons are run.
Ms McMahon strongly criticised the prison service, telling The Irish Times it was now characterised by a lack of consultation with key staff in the jails. Rehabilitative facilities were also being negatively impacted.
The Dóchas Centre had become chronically overcrowded with up to 137 women housed in a centre designed for 85. “Sometimes there are [prisoners’] babies as well. It is absolutely dreadful.”
Some women were being jailed for their failure to meet credit union payments. Large numbers were so low risk they should never have been jailed, she said.
A spokeswoman for the Department of Justice said it was unlikely to comment as the issue was a matter for the Irish Prison Service. A spokesman for the Irish Prison Service said Mr Purcell would not be adding to a statement issued today and his earlier media comments.