Prison suicides low by world standards, head of service tells Dail committee

Mr Sean Aylward, director general of the prison service, told an ail Oireachtas sub-committee yesterday that the incidence of suicide in Irish prisons was extremely low by international comparison.

Mr Aylward was appearing before the Sub-Committee on Human Rights of the Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs to discuss the prison service.

He was there in the context of the Government's response to the report from the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) on its visit to Ireland from August 31st to September 9th, 1998.

The hearing was chaired by Mr Gay Mitchell (FG), with questions from Mr John Connor (FG), Senator Paschal Mooney (FF), Mr Ben Briscoe (FF) and Mr Michael O'Kennedy (FF).

Mr Aylward said the incidence of suicide in Irish prisons was extremely low by comparison with prison systems abroad. Compared to the incidence of suicide in Ireland as a whole, prison suicides represented just "a handful", and when suicides took place "outside' there was "hardly a word".

He believed, however, that "every single suicide was to be regretted" and spoke of the special observation unit in prisons whereby suicide suspects were inspected every 15 minutes.

There were also plans for high-support facilities where suicide suspects would be held together under constant supervision. At Castlerea Prison a scheme had been set up with the Samaritans to train prisoners to support others with suicidal tendencies. Furthermore, a television was being put in cells to occupy prisoners.

Some prisoners, however, were very firm in their determination to kill themselves and in instances had adopted a very cheerful demeanour to deceive prison officers minutes before taking their own lives, he said.

Mr Aylward said the prison authorities had "taken an absolutely rock-solid line against ill-treatment" of prisoners by prison officers. He said that possible language difficulties on the part of CPT members had led to their report's negative conclusions in this area.

Prison officers with attitude were not put in contact with prisoners, and where there was "a shred of evidence" of ill-treatment, immediate action was taken, he said. He referred to an incident at Mountjoy Prison last September after which a prison officer was suspended "on my direction" and the gardai called in.

On the relationship between social deprivation and imprisonment, he told the sub-committee he subscribed to the view that "prison was not a remedy for all the evils of society". It was not his place to be a social critic or commentator "but to accept those sent by the courts".

Within the service, they tried to do what they could to help people towards employment, "while not encouraging too strong a sense of victimhood" on the part of prisoners. "People must be encouraged, whatever their background, to take responsibility and sin no more," he said.