Parliamentary Question: Prison Drug Treatment Services

22nd November 2000

326. Mr. Gregory asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if he will make a statement on the findings of independent research that shows that one in five drug users in prison began injecting drugs in prison. [26972/00]
 
Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform (Mr. O'Donoghue): At my instigation, the department of community health and general practice, Trinity College, Dublin, has conducted two major health risk surveys on prisoner in custody.
They reported that approximately one in five prisoners who injected heroin claimed that they first started injecting while in prison. Prison management is, however, generally sceptical of this particular figure. It must be remembered that the declared personal drug histories by participants in surveys of this kind cannot be totally relied upon as accurate in all instances.

I can assure the Deputy that I am fully committed to tackling the drug problem in the prison system. The action plan on drug misuse and drug treatment in the prison system, which I approved last year, provides a detailed strategy to raise the level of treatment for drug addicted offenders and reduce the supply of drugs in the prison system. This includes the expansion of detoxification facilities, more drug free areas and the provision of methadone maintenance. The provision of addiction counselling support services is central to the plan. The plan builds on a medical policy which has been agreed between my Department and the Eastern Health Board in that it seeks to provide the same access to treatment for prisoners as patients have within the community.

At my request the director general of the Prisons Service established a national steering group for prison based drug treatment services with a view to implementing the action plan. The steering group comprises representatives from this Department, the Eastern Health Board, senior Prisons Service management, probation and welfare service, prisons psychology service and the prison education service. The group submitted their first report to me in July of this year and the report was circulated to various organisations for views and feedback. The implementation of the recommendations contained in the report were approved, in principle, by the Government on 18 October 2000, on the basis that the precise staffing and other expenditure related proposals would be the subject of direct negotiations between the Departments of Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Health and Children and Finance as well as the Prisons Service and health boards. These are due to commence immediately.