I will be giving a whole different vision on the day to day running of the prisons and the chaos and the war from within. Fred.
Another day: 15th March 2014
Watching some episodes on Irish TV in the last number of weeks in relation to the Midlands prison in Co Laois, it is well rehearsed and also you can smell the PR coming from Flanagan’s office, the Prison Authorities, and the Department of Justice. Why am I saying this? Simply it is what I am viewing is not totally correct. Our prisons are in chaos, the bullying from within and outside, is now at a epidemic proportions. Also, staff are being threatened on a daily basis and a number of staff are compromised to the point that they have to bring in drugs any way they can without being caught, sadly. We hear on a seldom basis, down the years, of the odd warder being caught for improper conduct but you will never receive the full measure in relation to the amount of officers who are on the payroll of the Drug Dealers on the outside. Don’t forget it is only some months ago when somebody within Flanagan’s office or the Garda HQ put tracking devices on prison officers cars and also it is now alleged that some of their homes were phone tapped in relation to alleged association with Gangland. I am always bewildered at the lack of investigative journalism in this country. Only yesterday, I contacted an old acquaintance of mine in journalism (I will not give her/his name) because your source is the First Commandment but I did sense a paranoia. Now let me explain: I asked for a number and I got a reply: Can you Fred give me a number? A certain wealthy man, in my opinion, has really put the frighteners on our journalists and thank God he lost that High Court case last week and he also lost the case in relation to Dail Privilege. I must say a good week for FREEDOM OF SPEECH IN IRELAND. Well done Tom Lyons and co.
Back to our prisons. I will be brief today but in the coming weeks I shall be giving a total inventory of what is happening in our prisons. The illegal drug culture is a fact of life in our prisons now and the Governors and the Probation services and the staff in general are just playing catch-up. They find the odd ounce of hashish or a bit of cocaine or a hand made weapon and some hooch and then add the rest but like the Gardai they PR spin it to cover up the vast amount of drugs that get in on a weekly basis. The drones are here now and in the last number of years they fly over Clover Hill, Wheatfield, Mountjoy, and the Midland’s prison. Some get caught in the nets but then some get in. Then you have the drugs that come in the old fashioned way (placed in the anus) and the rest but we never hear the realities of this.
I will conclude by saying, there are good people who work in our prisons but there are people also and drugs bring bribery and some staff are definitely compromised and on the payroll of crime. This is what I didn’t hear watching the series in relation to the Midland prison. Before I close down on prisons for the day, I make one more point. 380 prisoners in the Midlands are there for sexual offences and this should be raising alarm bells within our probation services and the medical field. Little heard from these quarters.
To be continued.
Fred Bassett
Recommended:
Pat Kenny chat about Sex Offenders Programme Midland Prison (350+) http://www.irishprisons.ie/media-item/newstalk-pat-show-sex-offender-treatment-programme-dec-2017/
Inside Irish Prisons TV3 part 1 http://www.irishprisons.ie/media-item/inside-irish-prisons-tv3-part-1/
Inside Irish Prisons TV3 part 2 http://www.irishprisons.ie/media-item/prison-visit-series-tv3/
Inside Irish Prisons TV3 part 3 http://www.irishprisons.ie/media-item/prison-visit-series-part-3/
Inside Irish Prisons TV3 part 4 http://www.irishprisons.ie/media-item/inside-irish-prisons-tv3-part-4/
ers and staff at #Limerick Prison have been questioned over €10,000 in missing bail money as a Garda probe continues, the Irish Prison Service has confirmed.
A spokesperson for the service confirmed that the money is still missing from the General Office as detectives from Roxboro Road Garda Station concluded their questioning of staff in recent days.
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“The matter remains an open investigation with An Garda Siochana”, the spokesperson said this Wednesday afternoon, but he would not be drawn on any changes in procedures or if a new safe had been installed at the jail.
The money, which remains unaccounted for, became the centre of a criminal investigation by Gardaí at Roxboro Road Station last November when it was reported missing having being paid in to the jail in August 2015.
The Prison Service confirmed that the €10,000 in cash was held at the General Office at the Mulgrave Street Prison and this Wednesday remained “unaccounted for” when the investigation was handed over to the Gardaí.
A forensic audit of prison accounts failed to uncover errors in book-keeping.
A Prison Service spokesman said it was normal practice for cash to be held at the General Office of the prison as bail money, anything from €500 up to €60,000, is paid in to prisons to secure the release of remand prisoners.
The area where cash is held is not be accessible to inmates, even those on enhanced regimes or with duties that would allow them movement through other areas of the prison.
The money had been lodged to secure the release of two inmates last August.
A two-day search followed and an internal investigation was undertaken.
The incident caused “consternation” at the prison, a source told the Limerick Post.
“Everyone was in a flap thinking that the money was just misplaced and would turn up but when it didn’t, it became a different story”.
The source went on to say that there was “a cloud of suspicion” surrounding staff and “that’s not good to have”.
“The search failed to throw-up anything and the place was turned upside-down”, the source added.
prison items to renovate their homes are being sent to the Garda Commissioner by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC).
Fianna Fáil TD Marc MacSharry made the explosive allegations after being contacted by a number of prison staff.
Among the allegations made using Dáil privilege by Mr MacSharry at yesterday’s meeting with the Department of Justice were:
Prison officers taking items from prison workshops and stores to “sell on the internet”
Officers who are “using the prison workshop to make improvements to personal, family, or holiday homes”
And if some staff are linked to other “private enterprises” and are using prison equipment “to supplement their private stores”
“Are the department or the Irish Prison Service aware of an incidence of a prison service employee, with responsibility for stores in prisons, who was selling prison items on the internet? Was this person allowed to resign?” asked Mr MacSharry, before reading out a series of questions on which the Fianna Fáil TD said he has sought private legal advice.
However, the Department of Justice secretary general, Aidan O’Driscoll, refused to respond to the claims and separate allegations from Mr MacSharry that “profiles” of some prison officers and their movements outside of the facilities have been drawn up by State-linked surveillance teams, saying: “You might be putting certain things on the record, but I’m not here today to talk about prison issues.”
Mr MacSharry said that he has been told of the concerns by prison personnel, with other prison officer sources telling the Irish Examiner that they are aware of a handful of such cases.
In addition, prison officer sources told this newspaper last night that a circular was sent to all prisons during the past week ordering officers to no longer buy anything from prison tuck-shops.
However, despite the allegations, a number of PAC members declined to support Mr MacSharry’s claims, including Sinn Féin TD Jonathan O’Brien who told the committee he is “uncomfortable” with the line of questioning.
After listening to the evidence, PAC chairman and Fianna Fáil TD Sean Fleming said he will send the full transcript of Mr MacSharry’s claims to Garda Commissioner Drew Harris in the coming days.
Mr Fleming said it is up to Mr Harris to investigate if any wrongdoing has occurred, adding that his role as PAC chairman means he is obliged to send allegations of wrongdoing to the Garda commissioner.
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