Cutbacks limit prison workshop programmes

Workshops at Mountjoy Prison are often unable to operate because of staff and funding cutbacks, Mountjoy governor John Lonergan said yesterday.

Last month, Minister for Justice Michael McDowell met prison governors and told them they were expected to operate on strict monthly budgets from now on.

Mr Lonergan said the prison had little control in planning workshop activities as 70 or 80 prison officers could be needed for court duties on any particular day. Without the staff, carpentry and other workshops could not open. Drama and evening classes have also been affected by budgetary constraints.

"We try our best to continue to facilitate projects but obviously cutbacks have consequences," Mr Lonergan said.

He was speaking as inmates at the carpentry workshop unveiled one of the four "million mile" barometers they made to track the GO! fund-raising campaign for Special Olympics Ireland.

For every €1,000 raised, a new athlete will be recruited into the Special Olympics Ireland programme.

There are more than 34,000 people with a learning disability on the island of Ireland and 8,000 of these are involved in Special Olympics. With the help of this campaign, the organisation aims to double this figure to 16,000 by 2007.

The four barometers are being installed at Patrick Street, Cork; Eyre Square Shopping Centre, Galway; Castlecourt Shopping Centre, Belfast; and Grafton Street, Dublin.

Mr Lonergan said he firmly believed that involvement in projects like this rehabilitated prisoners.

Identifying positive elements in a prisoner's make-up and working on them changed behaviour, Mr Lonergan said.

"If they feel better about themselves, they are less likely to treat others with disrespect," the governor said.

Mountjoy prisoner Brian O'Connor, who worked on the Special Olympics project, said 10 prisoners had spent the past four weeks making the giant barometers.

"We had a great time doing it," he said. "We stayed back evenings when we were given permission. When Mr Bissett [the supervisor] got us up at eight in the morning, we were dressed and ready to go," he said.

"This was my first time working on Special Olympics stuff but it's given me a few ideas to try to get something going in here for Special Olympics," he said.

The Irish Prison Service was the single biggest contributor of goods and services to the Special Olympics World Games in Dublin two years ago. Inmates made 70,000 coloured flags for the opening ceremony, as well as podiums for prize-giving ceremonies and the power-lifting benches.