A government scheme to lock up more criminals at less cost was announced by the Minister for Justice yesterday. The scheme includes a new prison for Portlaoise, financed by the private sector, and initiatives to limit the number of extra prison officers hired as the prisoner population increases.
Outlining the better-value incarceration plan yesterday, Mr O'Donoghue said he was preparing to publish a report which would set out methods for increasing efficiency in the Prison Service, where high staff costs have caused serious concern.
The new 400-space prison at Portlaoise is to be the first jail to be financed, designed and built by the private sector. It is expected to use modern prison features, such as automatic gates operated from a central control room, rather than individually manned gates, to avoid reaching the staffing levels in other jails.
The Prison Officers' Association (POA) said last night that it had accepted the need to consider such systems, which would limit the number of prison officers in jails, as part of its recent pay deal.
There are 2,300 officers supervising about the same number of prisoners in the system, and the bill for officers' overtime was £18 million last year. "I do feel that the present ratio of one-to-one, prisoners to prison officers, is quite high," Mr O'Donoghue said yesterday. He said he would "obviously be considering this matter in the light of the cost report" prepared for his Department, which he would publish next month.
Mr Tom Hoare of the POA said the "one-to-one" ratio was "very misleading", because extra officers were used to guard high-security prisoners in Portlaoise and Limerick, which meant that there were fewer staff in other jails.
The plan announced by the Minister at Portlaoise yesterday is for a male prison with 400 single cells, with 40 of the cells making up a "segregation" unit within the jail for troublesome prisoners. The new prison will be separate from the existing Portlaoise Prison.
The companies which design, finance and build it will lease it to the State for 20 or 30 years, after which the State would probably buy the building for a nominal amount.
Mr O'Donoghue said he could not comment on the likely cost of the project, as this would be a matter to be worked out with companies which have made proposals to him. He added that if the privately funded schemes did not appear feasible, a prison funded directly by the State would be built.
The final decision to build would be made by the Government, and he expected the prison to be operational within two years.
Asked if any property or construction company which was the subject of a Garda investigation would be allowed to become involved in the project, the Minister said: "I feel sure that the officials who will examine the proposals, and the Government, making the ultimate decision, will be aware of everything which impinges on the success of the matter and any such matter will obviously be given due consideration in the light of the proposals."