Portlaoise must be demolished now

Political prisoners continue to be held in conditions condemned as unfit as sections of Portlaoise prison have been described as unfit to hold inmates yet men are still being placed there.

Political prisoners continue to be held in conditions condemned as unfit as sections of Portlaoise prison have been described as unfit to hold inmates yet men are still being placed there.

In principle there is a decision that the entire prison will be razed, but according to the Inspector of Prisons it will take years. While there are plans to replace the E wing, which has been condemned, there seems to be a delay in new building work.

In fact the Inspector of Prisons comments as follows:

“The future plans for the D wing appears uncertain and it is in worse state of repair than E wing so its present existence should be decided and either replaced or relocated.”

This is where the CIRA prisoners are being held, and it is my view that these awful conditions impose an additional punishment on these men.

It is obvious that the Inspector is working to improve the conditions under which prisoners are held but on average less than half of his recommendations are accepted by those who run the prison system.

The treatment of political prisoners is one of the last unspoken aspects of Irish life and when the truth about the awful conditions in which these men are held finally emerges, it will rival the recent Church and Garda scandals.