Mountjoy Prison
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Mountjoy Prison (Irish: Príosún Mhuinseo) (founded as Mountjoy Gaol), nicknamed The Joy, is a closed, medium security prison located in Phibsboro in Dublin city centre, Ireland.
It was designed by military engineer Joshua Jebb and opened in 1850. Mountjoy was originally intended as the first stop for men sentenced to transportation where they would spend a period in separate confinement and then be transferred to Spike Island before where they would be transported to Van Diemen's Land.
The prison was built with in-cell sanitation but this was removed in 1939 at the instigation of a civil servant who deemed that 'prisoners were using too much water'. Inmates have to use chamber pots, empty milk cartons and other receptacles in lieu of proper sanitation. The Inspector-General of Prisons and Places of Detention has stated that prisoners in Mountjoy are existing in most inhumane, degrading and overcrowded conditions, and that many have to sleep on the floor in filthy conditions due to overcrowding. He recommended that it be closed and demolished. The Inspector-General has described the attitude of the Minister for Justice towards reform as "frightening and fascist"[1].
Some Irish leaders during the Anglo-Irish War and Irish Civil War were held there. Kevin Barry was among those executed at the prison.
On October 31, 1973 it was the scene of a spectacular escape by helicopter by three Provisional Irish Republican Army prisoners, including Seamus Twomey.[2]
In August 2006, as a result of severe overcrowding, prisoner Gary Douche was murdered in a packed holding cell. This prompted the Minister of Jutice to put a cap on the capacity of the prison at 520.
The current prison governor is John Lonergan.
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[edit] Replacement of Mountjoy Prison
A 60 ha (150 acre) site has been acquired at a cost of €30 million at Thornton Hall, North County Dublin on which a replacement for Mountjoy is to be constructed. The new facility will accommodate 1,200 convicts. The site will include court facilities, video-conference links, medical and therapeutic facilities [3]
[edit] References
- ^ Fourth Annual Report of the Inspector-General of Prisons and Places of Detention, 2004-05. Department of Justice, Equality & Law Reform (2006-08-24).
- ^ The Helicopter Prison
- ^ National Infrastructure Summit, May 2006
[edit] See also
- Loughan House, a low security open centre in Co. Cavan also run by the Irish Prison Service.
- Kilmainham Gaol, a former prison, located in Inchicore in Dublin, which is now a museum.
