INMATES IN IRISH prisons have been denied access to showers for up to 14 days because of restrictions introduced to limit the spread of Covid-19.

Four inspection reports published today shed light on how Irish prisons are coping with the coronavirus pandemic.

The reports from the Inspector of Prisons reveal that prisoners in quarantine and isolation in Limerick, Wheatfield, Mountjoy and Cloverhill prisons are being denied their right to a shower and are not being provided with sufficient meaningful human contact. 

Solitary confinement is also being used as a measure to prevent transmission of Covid-19. 

In its reports on Mountjoy and Cloverhill, the Inspector of Prisons expressed concern that Covid-19 has allowed a sense of complacency to set in across the prisons, allowing increased restrictions to become the new norm.

The report on Mountjoy noted that it was explained to the Inspectorate that the disinfectant costs for the showers were cost-prohibitive because an external cleaning agency was contracted to decontaminate post-Covid-19 exposure areas.

“A low standard of physical survival has been introduced; one devoid of substance and meaningful interaction,” the Inspector added.

The report on Limerick prison noted that prisoners were not permitted to shower for the duration of time they were in quarantine, potentially a period of up to 14 days.

During that time the only access to clean running water was from a small in-cell basin. Prisoners also had no access to fresh clothing or post during their quarantine period.

The reports note that inspectors repeatedly encountered substandard bedding and prisoners having to wear the same clothes for long periods of time. Female prisoners could not access certain sanitary products. 

To facilitate social distancing, meals were often served at very close intervals, leaving a period of 16 hours between the evening meal and breakfast.

The inspectors also noted other persistent issues in Irish prisons, including the continuation of “slopping out” and the provision of triple occupancy cells in Cloverhill prison, which do not meet internal standards for minimum cell size.

Responding to the reports, the Irish Penal Reform Trust (IPRT) noted the effect of Covid-related restrictions on prisoners has been particularly harsh.

“The Inspectorate’s views are clear: solitary confinement should not be used as a means to prevent transmission of Covid-19 in prisons,” IPRT spokesperson Molly Joyce said.

It is therefore of particular concern to IPRT that the Irish Prison Service did not accept the Inspectorate’s recommendations to the effect that all people in quarantine or isolation must be facilitated with at least two hours of meaningful human contact, and at least one hour in the open air, each day.

“Human rights are not optional and holding people on long lock-up must not become normalised,” the campaign group noted.

The Jesuit Centre for Faith and Justice noted that these are the first public prison inspection reports since May 2017.

It added that the first of the reports were submitted to the Department of Justice in early May and have only been published today, three months later.

“During a period of crisis, it is even more important that inspections are published in the most timely manner so prison procedures and conditions can be closely monitored. Future full inspections need to be published promptly until the Office’s powers are expanded,” it said.