A “significant disturbance” took place at the country’s largest prison in recent days.
Midlands Prison in Portlaoise played host to a “significant disturbance” as inmates engaged in a dirty protest in an incident that took place in the past few days.
It is understood that prisoners smeared human excrement on doors and windows of their cells before staging a protest in the exercise yard.
Up to 50 inmates took part, protesting about access rights to the yard under a new “regime management plan” put in place to support reduced staffing levels.
Speaking on This Week on RTÉ Radio 1, reporter John Burke confirmed the disturbance via an official statement from Midlands Prison, describing a stand-off between staff and dozens of inmates.
“Prisoners smeared their own excrement on their own doors and then mounted a protest in the yard,” he noted.
“The stand-off only ended once officers in riot gear intervened.”
Burke explained that the incident arose due to a manpower issue at the facility, with short staffing and a lack of resources resulting in less exercise yard access for prisoners.
Midlands Prison cited an increase in prison staff required off-site for court escorts as one reason why numbers are low.
In conversation on This Week, President of the Irish Prison Officers Association Tony Power, who is also an officer at Midlands Prison, said that approximately 50 inmates refused to come in from the exercise yard on Wednesday evening at the appointed time of 7pm.
“They spoke with management and then they ended their protest at about half seven and returned to their cells,” said Power.
“On Friday evening, we had a far more serious incident when again about 50 prisoners again refused to leave the exercise yard.
“Prior to them going to the yard, many of these prisoners had smeared excrement on the door handles of their cells. On Friday, when the rest of the prison was locked up, management took a decision to send staff in in riot gear into the yard to return the prisoners to their cells.”
Power stated that prison management was concerned with the prospect of violence breaking out, and so requested assistance from their colleagues in Portlaoise Prison.
“When the prisoners saw the staff coming out in riot gear, they ended their protest peacefully and returned to their cells,” he added.
Power, noting that “every prison is below its numbers” in terms of staffing, condemned the incident as a “complete breakdown of law and order” and urged Minister for Justice and Equality Charlie Flanagan to address the issue as a matter of urgency.
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