The treatment of women held at the Dóchas Centre has been a long-standing concern for the Inspectorate. The Minister for Justice has published two short inspection reports drawn up by my predecessor (report of 5 August 2020, published with redactions on 25 January 2024; report of 23 December 2021, published on 28 April 2022). In addition, on 15 February 2022, my predecessor provided the Minister with a report on her statutory investigation under section 31(2) of the Prisons Act 2007; this remains unpublished. Some common themes in these reports include allegations of inter-prisoner bullying, inappropriate relationships, disrespectful treatment of women by a minority of prison staff, and women’s fears of reprisals if they make complaints against staff. Regrettably, this latest inspection report records that our team observed examples of prison staff treating women inappropriately, including infantilising them, shouting at them, and ignoring them. The cumulative effect of these poor staff-prisoner dynamics, combined with the imposition of harsh punitive sanctions had a substantial adverse impact on the daily lives of many of the women living in the Dóchas Centre.

P.6 The prison emphasised drug detection and punitive measures over treatment and support of drug users, in contrast to the health-led response set out in the National Drugs Strategy: Reducing Harm, Supporting Recovery 2017-2025.

P.15 1.22 Another important consideration is that the profile of women entering prison differs from that of men. Women entering prison typically have a complex history, which may include physical or sexual abuse, mental health issues, drug or alcohol dependency and misuse and experiences of being unhoused. The prevalence of these issues is often much greater than what is observed among men in prison. Frequently, women in prison have caring responsibilities and may be the primary or sole caregiver in their families; imprisonment carries a substantial impact for their children and families. Given the complex and traumatic backgrounds of many women in prisons, prisons must offer tailored gender-informed supports.

P.62 3.43 Approximately half of prisoner survey respondents (51%, 51 of 100) indicated they did not feel safe from being injured, bullied or threatened by other prisoners in prison. Women reported not feeling safe for a myriad of reasons, including overcrowding in cells, drug use amongst people in the prison and insufficient prison staff support.

P.63 3.47 In addition to staffing shortages, prison staff also reported there were insufficient handover processes in place, leading to staff being unaware of incidents and lingering tensions in the prison. Some staff also felt they did not receive support from management to address serious issues of concern. One member of prison staff stated, “Staff (are) going to upper management with very serious issues regarding prisoner drug use, prisoner conflicts, staff safety, overcrowding issues, and (we are) being LAUGHED AT to our faces and told to deal with it”.

P.65 3.54 Women who were active drug users were accommodated with women who did not use drugs, and this frequently led to disruptive behaviour in the rooms; sometimes this erupted into physical altercations.

P.66 Contraband
The Irish Prison Service Strategy 2023 - 202677 sets out a three-pronged approach to managing the presence of illicit drugs across the prison estate: (i) inform and education; (ii) detect and reduce; and (iii) support and treat. The strategy promises an approach that will improve medical and therapeutic interviews and services for people in prison living with addiction. The National Drug Strategy: Reducing Harm, Supporting Recovery 2017-2025, sets out a vision for a “healthier and safer Ireland, where public health and safety is protected and the harms caused to individuals, families and communities by substance misuses are reduced and every person affected by substance use is empowered to improve their health and wellbeing and quality of life”.78
3.58 Over a period of six months (March to September 2023), there were seven incidents of contraband detection in the prison, with four of these being retrieval of tablets and other illicit drugs. Many women in the Dóchas Centre were drug users, and had addiction challenges. In response, the prison emphasised a zero-tolerance drug policy, which included urine testing to identify and punish prisoners who used drugs in the prison.
3.59 As part of the IR mechanism, the prison’s approach to urine testing permitted prison staff to immediately “drop” a prisoner’s regime to Basic in the event that they either declined or tested positive for drugs. Women who lived in the more privileged houses, such as Elm or Willows, were also to be relocated to a house with less  privileges. Women who disputed their test result had the option of sending their urine sample for external testing. However, they were advised that in doing this they would be responsible for the cost, and that if the test result remained positive they would be issued a P19 disciplinary sanction. The policy on IRs and urine testing did not require the issuing of P19 disciplinary sanctions outside of the situation described above; however, the practice in the prison was to issue a P19 caution to women who refused a drug test or tested positive.
3.60 Despite the knowledge that many women in the Dóchas Centre were engaged in substance use, the prison emphasised a punitive approach to responding to drug use, rather than a harm-reduction / health-led approach designed to support women in the prison. This was further compounded by low availability of and access to addiction counsellors.
3.61 The approach implemented in the Dóchas Centre to manage drug use emphasised detection and punishment over treatment and support, and did not entirely align with the National Drug Strategy: vision to empower people to improve their health and wellbeing and quality of life.
3.62 A number of recommendations made by the Citizens Assembly on Drug Use 80 may prove particularly useful in conceptualising of how to move forward in responding to drug use in prisons:
 That alternative, health-focused options for people with a drug addiction should be formalised, adopted and resourced within the criminal justice system.
 The Department of Justice and the Irish Prison Service should develop and fund enhanced prison-based addiction treatment services.
 A comprehensive health-led response to possession of drugs for personal use should be adopted by the State.
 Drugs policy should prioritise the needs of vulnerable and marginalised groups and disadvantaged communities.
 Additional resources should be allocated to fund a significant increase in community-based and residential treatment and recovery services as an alternative to custodial sentences for people with problematic drugs use, where appropriate.

P.93 Addiction
4.61 Merchants Quay Ireland are contracted to provide substance use services in the Dóchas Centre. Staffing at the Dóchas Centre was comprised of one 0.2 WTE Senior Addiction Counsellor and two Addiction Counsellors (1.0 WTE combined). Referrals could be made to the MQI team directly, through the primary healthcare team, the ISM Officer or women could make a request on committal.
On 20 September 2023, 65 women in the Dóchas Centre were on methadone. The GP described the Addiction Service as being “swamped”, whilst MQI Addiction Counsellors referred to the waitlist as “a challenge”. On 21 September 2023, there were 36 women on the waitlist to see addiction counsellors.
4.62 The approach to addiction services differed to that in the community, with all interventions reported to be in a one-to-one format. MQI noted there had been no physical space to run group sessions for the past 2.5 years and that ideally they should be able to run preparatory groups for women prior to attending community based group treatment programmes. This should be a priority for implementation by local management. Healthcare staff proposed that the addition of a large therapeutic space would be of great benefit for supporting psychosocial needs. The feasibility of creating such a space or utilising existing spaces for this purpose should be examined by prison management.
4.63 Women on remand represented almost one-third of the population at the time of the inspection (32%).115 Several professionals and women in prison themselves, referred to re-entering the prison over time as “doing a life sentence in intervals”. In terms of accessing addiction services, this cohort of women can be disadvantaged by the MQI wait list which operates by referral date only. Healthcare staff also highlighted this practice as causing “difficulties for women accessing these services”.
In effect, women lose their place on the wait list upon leaving prison; this particularly disadvantaged women who repeatedly entered prison on short sentences. This group was extremely vulnerable to not being seen at all when a wait list system operates solely by date referred. The recommendations of the Porporino Review addressed similar concerns in relation to wait listing for psychology services, and policies developed and implemented since that time would be helpful to consider in this instance....