THE DEATH of a young remand prisoner in St Patrick's Institution has prompted Opposition parties to call for Government action to reform the prison system without delay.
The tragedy led to renewed calls for separate facilities for remand prisoners.
Mr Thomas Keane (20) from Clogher Road, Crumlin, Dublin, was found hanging in his cell at 10.08 p.m. on Sunday. He was dead on arrival at the Mater Hospital. On Saturday evening he had been remanded to the prison for alleged possession of a knife. Prison staff say he was being detained in a single cell which was checked every 15 minutes.
According to Fianna Fail's justice spokesman, Mr John O'Donoghue, the "tragic death" had given rise to great disquiet and deep concern. It underlined that the prison system required "in depth analysis and reform".
He added: "Whilst it is very true that it is difficult for the prison authorities to prevent the taking of life, nonetheless the onus is squarely on the State to minimise the risk in so far as it is possible."
The Government simply must proceed with the construction of Castlerea and Mountjoy women's prisons. A statement of intent from the Government in this regard was of no value - funds must be made available.
It was now abundantly clear that there was an urgent need for a remand centre where people on remand could be detained, rather than incarcerated with "hardened criminals".
Ms Liz O'Donnell, the PD spokeswoman on Justice and Human Rights, asked how much longer could the Government "brazen it out, leisurely promising prison reform while every objective observer of the Mountjoy complex, which includes St Patrick's, has run out of adjectives to describe conditions there?
"How many more deaths are required before the authorities comply with the internationally recognised obligation on the State to provide separate and different facilities for remand prisoners? According to the Prisons Deaths Report in 1991, remand prisoners are statistically a greater suicide risk than sentenced prisoners."
Ms O'Donnell said she was "most unhappy" that the Minister for Justice preferred an inquest as a method of accountability for prison deaths. Under the Coroners Act, an inquest was confined to a determination of when, where and how the person died and was, therefore, precluded from a wider analysis of the adequacy of prison conditions.
Last year alone, there were 16 attempted suicides in the women's prison, while the numbers of suicides and deaths in the men's prison is "quite simply the physical evidence of a prison management scandal".
The Democratic Left TD, Mr Eric Byrne, pointed out that "this tragic incident comes almost exactly one month after the suicide of a young woman remand prisoner at Mountjoy". He said it was clear "there needs to be a major review of suicide prevention measures in our prisons", and for the Minister to "follow through on the Government Programme proposal to examine the establishment of a Prisons Board".
He, too, called for the fulfilment of "our obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights and give priority to building a separate remand facility for prisoners who, after all, have been convicted of no offence".
Gardai are investigating Mr Keane's death and an inquest is to be held. The circumstances will be examined by the Suicide Awareness group at St Patrick's, in line with recommendations made in the 1991 report of the advisory group on prison deaths. THE Prince of Wales, heir to the British throne, will arrive in Belfast later today, it was learned last night.
Prince Charles will sail into Belfast Harbour aboard the Royal Yacht, Britannia, for a series of visits, including a stopover in Derry.
The visit, which British Government officials see as a goodwill mission, will create major security problems for the RUC and the British Army, coming as it does into the Orange Marching season.
Details of the prince's itinerary were not revealed, but it is expected that he will visit Derry and perhaps some Border areas during what is expected to be a three day visit.