14th August 2024
On 14 August 2024, Irish Penal Reform Trust Executive Director, Saoirse Brady, spoke to RTÉ in the wake of the news of a number of ten people in prison being hospitalised with suspected drug overdoses.
Saoirse outlined that overcrowding was contributing to some of the issues with drugs in prison. Yesterday, capacity was 5,017 over all prisons - which equals 112% capacity, and in Portlaoise, this was 107% yesterday.
Saoirse also said that a lot of people in the prison system have an existing addiction and part of the problem is that they do not always get the support they need while in prison.
"There is a health-led approach in the community to substance misuse, and the emphasis should be on that within the prison estate as well, taking into account the security considerations that are there. Drug use in prison does happen and a zero tolerance approach doesn't always work," she said.
Respect for rights in the penal system with prison as a last resort.