Newstalk: Mountjoy Prison chapel closed due to overcrowding
27th November 2024
On 27 November 2024, Irish Penal Reform Trust (IPRT) Executive Director Saoirse Brady spoke to Newstalk Live presenter Andrea Gilligan about the chapel's closure in Mountjoy Prison.
Saoirse highlighted concerns about losing the multi-use space, which functions as an interfaith space, a recreational space, and includes a bereavement room. She noted the impact this will have on the people in prison and their families, particularly in the lead-up to the festive period. She said that video booths are important but they shouldn't be in replacement of other spaces and services. Saoirse questioned the impact of overcrowding as prisons are under pressure to provide court escorts and how we don't yet have the research on the impact of accessing justice over video.
The show also heard contributions from Gillian, who has experience of prison, Niall Spelman, former Assistant Prison Governor of Wheatfield Prison; and Michele Kerrigan, Executive Director of Care After Prison. Saoirse appears in the recording from 3.45 minutes in.
Related items:
- Inmates still earn just 50 cents for a day's work in Irish prisons - Dublin Inquirer
- People in Ireland from poorer backgrounds are at a higher risk of going to jail, says report - Liberal.ie
- Poverty, inequality increases risk of entering the criminal justice system - IPRT - RTÉ News
- Planned electronic tagging of prisoners faces fresh setback - Irish Independent
- Deaths in custody up from 24 to 31, over one year - Law Society Gazette
