Prison board role and structure queried

CALLS for a quick fix solution, at any cost, to the prison problem must be resisted by the Government, according to the Irish Commission for Justice and Peace.

In a submission to the expert group on the establishment of an independent prisons board, the commission questioned the possible role and structures of the proposed body.

"The time allotted by Government for working out detailed proposals is by any standards very short given the importance and interlocking nature of the issues, and the chronic nature of the problems facing the prisons," said the commission in a statement yesterday.

While it was possible that the prison system would be improved by devolving responsibility to a new body, it said no reasoned public presentation of the case had yet been made.

It also questioned whether the proposed body would improve the situation in two key areas improving the regime for prisoners, for instance in regard to work or education; and improving the morale and working conditions of prison officers.

The commission, a body of the Irish Bishops' Conference, said that any decision to devolve prison administration or change existing relationships in the wider criminal justice system should be carefully considered.

The decision by the Minister for Justice, Mrs Owen, to include the Probation and Welfare service in the new board's remit was a "surprise". In virtually all other European countries, the equivalent service retains its independence from the prison service.

Tackling overcrowding must be central to any solution, the commission added.

For security reasons, it added, the Minister should retain "a substantial and ultimately determining voice" in key areas of prison administration and policy, including industrial disputes, crisis situations, capital expenditure, accommodation decisions and prisoner release.