INMATES SMUGGLING drugs into jails are now much more likely to be detected following the purchase by the Irish Prison Service of X-ray chairs, which can reveal if drugs, mobile phones or even weapons are being concealed by the inmate.
Minister for Justice Dermot Ahern has revealed that eight chairs have been installed across the prison system in recent months.
“It is proposed to introduce them in all closed prisons during the course of this year, subject to the availability of resources,” said Mr Ahern.
It has emerged that eight Body Orifice Security Scanner (Boss) chairs have been installed at prisons in recent months after one chair was piloted in Cloverhill Prison, Dublin, last year.
Mr Ahern was responding to a written Dáil question from Fine Gael’s spokesman on justice, Charlie Flanagan TD.
While welcoming the purchase of the new chairs, Mr Flanagan said a Fianna Fáil-led Government had promised a drug-free prison system six years ago.
Meanwhile, technology that prevents criminals using mobile phones to run operations from their cells is to be extended to more prisons.
The move to provide additional devices which block handset signals comes as substantial numbers of mobile phones continue to be seized.
An examination of the best way of blocking prisoners’ phones has been continuing since April 2007.
“When all trial systems are fully in place and evaluation is complete, it is intended to seek competitive tenders on a prison-by-prison basis from each of the companies in the trials whose product meets the requirements of the Irish Prison Service in relation to mobile phone inhibition,” Mr Ahern said.
In addition to equipment to block phone signals, measures have also been taken to prevent them being smuggled into jails. Search sweeps are carried out within the prisons on a daily basis.
Last year, 2,047 mobile phones were seized in 14 prisons and a further 431 were discovered in the first three months of this year, according to Mr Ahern.
“Mobile phones are viewed as highly valuable commodities which could assist in illegal activity and eliminating their supply is one of the major challenges facing prisons worldwide,” the minister said.
The largest number of seizures have been made in Mountjoy Prison with 580 found last year and 137 up to March 20th this year. In Limerick Prison, 292 were seized last year with a further 87 this year. In Wheatfield, 232 were seized last year and 42 this year.