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'I've seen people being sliced, being kicked around in prison - it's all because of drugs'

A former inmate described the devastating impact the availability of drugs has on the lives of those both inside and outside our prisons.

A FORMER INMATE at an Irish prison has described the impact the easy availability of drugs has on the prison population, causing violence and destroying the lives of people both inside and outside the walls of the jails.

Speaking to TheJournal.ie yesterday, the former inmate who wished to remain anonymous, said he believes drugs cause “mayhem” in prison.

“I’ve seen the prison being calm, nice and relaxed. As soon as the drugs come in, it’s all biting each other’s backs, all at each other’s throats over ‘I didn’t get this amount, you got this, I gave you that last week, you owe me this, I owe you that’,” he explained.

Then if you have a physical argument with someone and if you get the better of them, they’ll just give a young fellow a €20 bag of heroin and tell him: ‘Go over and slice him up’.

Helpline

The man was speaking as the Irish Prison Service launched a confidential helpline to encourage inmates and members of the public to tell them about drugs, weapons and mobile phones that are being smuggled in. Prison representatives spoke of the devastating effect of drugs on the lives of people in prison.

Tony Geoghan of Merchants Quay Ireland also told reporters that the lure of drugs can be very strong and can be exploited by others, particularly in the prison system.

The availability of drugs in prison “seriously undermines people’s efforts to live a better life and leave drugs behind,” he said.

The former prison inmate said a friend of his who first went into prison 20 years ago had never taken a drug in his life.

“Today he is still a heroin addict,” he said.

It’s hard to avoid it. It’s very very hard. It’s like living in a little set of flats, we’ll say, and if your neighbour is taking drugs and you’re going around the yard it’s very difficult to say no.

Violence

Yesterday prison officers displayed an array of homemade weapons seized in Irish prisons and the man said violence during his jail time was rampant – and all connected to the massive drug business being run inside the walls.

Chief officer at the Irish Prison Service, Ben Buckley, said the most common and “most barbaric” weapon is a double razor blade in a toothbrush. A wound caused by this instrument will be difficult to stitch and will cause a permanent scar.

The former inmate who spoke to us, also described some of the violence and intimidation he saw:

I’ve heard of prisoners holding prisoners hostage, ringing up his family and demanding money and getting the money. It does happen. I’ve seen people being sliced, I’ve seen people with scars – nasty scars from prison – seen people being kicked around for nothing.

“It’s all drug related, everything is drug related, without a doubt. When they get the drugs into them they don’t care, they don’t think about the consequences,” he said.

He also said attacks on prison officers are often drug-fuelled or have been arranged as a way of paying a drug debt.

The man, who is a former addict, was in a drug-treatment centre for six months before he went to prison and he said this treatment and the therapy he attended helped him to say ‘no’ when the time came.

He shared a four-man cell with three addicts who were regularly using and though he was tempted, he never gave in.

It was tough but I got there.

He has been clean and has not committed a crime since 2009, having been fairly high up the ladder in the drug world before then.

With pride he told us “I’ve changed”, adding prison life and drug therapy helped him to leave that dark world in the past. He hopes the same can be done for men and women just like him.

Read: These are just some of the lethal homemade weapons seized in Irish prisons>

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18 Comments
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    Mute Glenard
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    Jul 7th 2015, 6:43 AM

    Being part of that world is probably like hell on earth. Don’t do heroin.

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    Mute Scorpionvenomm
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    Jul 7th 2015, 7:11 PM

    Bloody right very scary

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    Mute Jack Dunne
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    Jul 7th 2015, 7:44 PM

    I used to be a heroine user, then I divorced her and let her find her own hero, I am now happily married to another heroine

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    Mute Mick Jordan
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    Jul 7th 2015, 8:44 PM

    Glenard. Prison Officers have to police that world every day. It is Prison Officers that have to break up the fights, to assist in patching up those scarred for life, to deal with the suicides and attempted suicides that drug use causes.
    Programs and Initiatives come down from the top where they may appear to be great but it is the Prison Officers that are at the pointy end of the spear that have to implement them and deal with out comes when they go wrong.

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    Mute captain ireland
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    Jul 7th 2015, 7:24 AM

    it’s clear prison assaults have become worse , ppl already forget a man was stabbed to death in cork prison this year , head of IPS is incompetent and soft on prisoners but yet our minister for justice is not holding him accountable , there is no accountability in the public sector , my fear and it is inevitable , is a prison officer is going to get killed cos of donnellan and IPS

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    Mute Colum Galvin
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    Jul 7th 2015, 5:56 PM

    Don’t see why they don’t put up screens for visits in Mountjoy. If they were serious about tackling the problem surely that would be the first step?

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    Mute Everett Gold
    Favourite Everett Gold
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    Jul 7th 2015, 2:50 PM

    It would seem the journal is more interested in taking a convicted criminals word on prison life
    There is a welfare agenda above incarceration and punishment been pursued in the prison system now ,and victims of crime are not given a thought as a result. This also makes the prisons unmanageable and unsafe . Violent offenders are viewed as unfortunates that need help ,instead as a danger to the public and staff in prisons. Just look at the headlines over the last few months from prisons,Fish tanks & Gardens,bail paid after roof protest, birthday cake after assault on staff,Escape of prisoner after stabbing staff who should have had armed escort. Etc etc . This government needs to answer alot of questions about the prison system and the people they have running it .

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    Mute Malven Leven
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    Jul 7th 2015, 10:56 AM

    its time for the goverment to cop on and get there acts together.its getting way out of control.tougher and stricter measures needed.prision sentence is a walk in the park for most people and l know this through people thats been there.

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    Mute Chris Kelly
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    Jul 7th 2015, 7:38 PM

    If the prison service were serious about erradicating drugs from our prisons they would introduce screens on all visits.

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    Mute Mark Ryan
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    Jul 7th 2015, 8:07 AM

    so he went off drugs because prison experience was so bad, yet people want prisons turned into hotels

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    Mute Alan Driscoll
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    Jul 7th 2015, 9:20 AM

    @ Mark Ryan if you read the story he went to treatment before prison, so was clean while in prison not because of prison.

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    Mute Chris Mcdonnell
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    Jul 8th 2015, 4:05 PM

    Make every inmate do a drugs test 1 month before release and then just before release and if positive he served another 6 months

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    Mute david
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    Jul 20th 2015, 4:43 PM

    You f***ing w***er!

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