The CPT’s sixth periodic visit to Ireland provided an opportunity to assess the progress made since the Committee's 2010 visit. To this end, the CPT's delegation examined the conditions of detention and treatment of persons in prisons, including women prisoners. It also focused on the provision of health care, the application of good order measures and the recently introduced complaints system in prisons. The situation of juveniles in prison and in the Oberstown Children’s Detention Schools was also examined. Further, the delegation visited a number of police stations to look into the conditions of detention and the safeguards in place. It also looked at immigration detention. The cooperation received from the Irish authorities was very good, both at the central and local levels.

56. The presence in prison of inmates with drug-related problems gives rise to a number of particular difficulties for the prison authorities. These include health and security issues, as well as the choice of forms of assistance which are to be offered to the prisoners concerned. Further, the widespread availability of illicit drugs within a prison is bound to have very negative repercussions on all aspects of prison life, and may undermine the motivation of prison officers.

The CPT’s delegation observed that drug misuse and a high prevalence of drugs remained a major problem in all the prisons visited. Prison staff admitted that there were still significant problems with illicit drug misuse and that many of the incidents in the prisons were drug-related.

In this regard, the Irish Prison Service drugs policy and strategy paper “Keeping drugs out of prison” remains relevant since it aims to eliminate the supply of drugs into prisons and provide prisoners with a range of opportunities which encourage them to adopt a drug-free lifestyle, before and after release, thereby reducing demand for drugs. Furthermore, prisoners should be provided with the opportunity to serve their sentence in a drug-free environment; where drug-free units are established, the drug-free policy should be rigorously enforced.

CPT recommends that the Irish authorities continue to pursue vigorously the drug strategy programme designed to put an end to the supply of drugs, to reduce as far as possible the demand for drugs and to provide appropriate assistance to prisoners with drug-related problems, including substitution treatment. Further, increased efforts should be made to ensure that drug-free units live up to their name.