PORTLAOISE PRISON HAUL A MAJOR EMBARRASSMENT FOR MCDOWELL
Wednesday, May 09, 2007
Labour Party Spokesperson on Justice, Brendan Howlin, has said the major seizure of contraband items including mobile phones, drugs, and a budgie, at Portlaoise Prison is a major embarrassment to the Irish Prison system and to the Tanaiste and Minister for Justice, Michael McDowell, in particular.
“The haul of contraband at Portlaoise – Ireland’s supposed maximum-security prison – is utterly bizarre. However, the issue of criminals having access to drugs, alcohol and mobile phones arose earlier this year in the course of debate on the Prisons Bill.
“At that time the Labour Party raised serious concerns about Ireland’s most dangerous criminals being able to conduct their empires and activities from inside prison walls via mobile phones.
“Minister McDowell told us he agreed and that a five year sentence would apply to any criminal caught in possession of a mobile phone.
“Yet only last week the brazen and blatant use of mobile phones by prisoners was highlighted when a notorious criminal contacted a major radio talk show and was broadcast live to the nation from his cell.
“Despite the Minister’s public protestations to the contrary, the haul from today’s searches confirm that all rules and regulations in the country’s prisons have broken down. Places like Portlaoise are now more akin to open prisons where top criminals have all manner of goods at their disposal than maximum security facilities.
“This disturbing find in Ireland’s most secure prison would indicate that an even greater haul of contraband must be available in our other prisons. The Minister must indicate whether he intends having the other prisons searched in the manner similar to Portlaoise.”
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