Few institutions have the potential for violence of a prison. And few prisons have the latent tensions of Mountjoy. Perhaps one of the most remarkable: things about the crisis which emerged there on Saturday evening is that there has been a relatively long interval since the prison's last disturbances.
At this writing the taking of prison officer hostages by a group of inmates has not led to bloodshed or to further violence. But it is not difficult to imagine, the apprehension and the anguish which this incident has generated among inmates and staff alike. Few outside the prison system realise the extent to which a custodial institution which seeks to operate humanely must function on a basis of co operation and trust. Inmates must have confidence that they will be treated fairly and not abused. Staff must know that they can discharge their duties without threat. If these assumptions are invalidated, the regime degenerates to one of fear.
There is an amplitude of evidence attesting to the humanity of Governor John Lonergan's regime at Mountjoy. He and his staff do the best they can to cope with overcrowding, chronic drug abuse, inadequate facilities and a set of buildings which is essentially the product of the Victorian era. But even saints or super heroes could not succeed in having Mountjoy do all that is asked of it.
Here is a 19th century, city prison, geared to handling relatively short term sentences. Today it is expected to function additionally as a large scale holding centre for drug addicts. It is obliged to operate as a remand centre for persons awaiting trial. It is required to contain prisoners who range from the relatively harmless to some very dangerous people indeed. Many who have first hand knowledge will declare that without the safety valve of large scale early releases, Mountjoy could not function. And without the narcotic effect of illegal drugs, smuggled daily into the prison, it would generate a far greater quota of violent incidents.
It is something of a truism that the test of a society's humanity is how it treats its prisoners. Mountjoy is the State's largest prison and it is a grim institution, comparing abysmally with many of its counterparts in other western European countries which have a relatively low crime rate. For the overwhelming majority of those who pass through it, Mountjoy's sole function is containment. Anything approximating to instruction or rehabilitation is marginal.
Incidents such the current taking of hostages can probably occur in any prison where crime hardened men are concentrated together. But the case for the closure and rebuilding of Mountjoy is overwhelming. It would be a brave decision for Government. But what better way of demonstrating to the world and to ourselves that having found a measure of prosperity, we have not discarded the humanity of those whose liberty we find it necessary - for very good reasons - to curtail?