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DOZENS OF PRISONERS in Ireland continue to ‘slop out’, despite a previous promise by the government to end the practice by this year.
Figures released by Justice Minister Helen McEntee in response to a Parliamentary Question last month show that 51 inmates in the Irish prison system are still ‘slopping out’.
Twenty of the inmates are based in Midlands Prison in Portlaoise, while 31 are housed in Limerick Prison, representing approximately 1% of the Irish prison population.
McEntee said the total figure is a decrease from 465 people in January 2014, and that the drop has been helped by the installation of in-cell sanitation at Mountjoy Prison in Dublin and the opening of a new prison in Cork in 2016.
The practice occurs when prisoners are forced to manually empty human waste from their cells.
In 2017, former Minister of State at the Department of Justice David Stanton told a United Nations Expert Committee on Torture that the government would completely eliminate the practice by this year.
The practice has been condemned as far back as 1993 by the European Committee on the Prevention of Torture, as well as in a number of subsequent reports, including by the State Inspector of Prisons.
Several former prisoners have been awarded thousands of Euro in damages by the State as a result of having to ‘slop out’, after taking court cases over a violation of their rights.
The Irish Penal Reform Trust criticised the ongoing practice as “inhumane and degrading”, saying it raised particular health concerns during a pandemic.
The trust’s executive director Fíona Ní Chinnéide told TheJournal.ie that it was necessary to ensure that prisoners have access to decent sanitary conditions and can practice social distancing at all times.
“The abolition of ‘slopping out’ in prisons in Ireland is long called for, long promised and long overdue,” she said.
“The State has significantly reduced the numbers slopping out since 2011 through capital investment, and we welcome this.
“However, progress on finally ending this practice cannot be delayed further, particularly in light of Covid-19.”
Ní Chinnéide called for prisoner numbers to be reduced across the country through alternatives to custody and early release schemes, and for and for unfit cells to be closed.
“Only a small number of men in prison are slopping out today but this does not make it any less degrading for the prisoners and for the staff who must oversee it,” she added.
“This practice must be abolished completely and urgently.”
In her parliamentary response, McEntee said that a feasibility study on improving cells in part of Midlands Prison where ‘slopping out’ still occurs is being prepared, noting that it would lead to a decision on a solution to provide in-cell sanitation for prisoners there.
She also explained that the construction of new facilities in Limerick was underway, which would lead to the elimination of ‘slopping out’ there.
However, the minister added that although the projected completion date for this work was the final quarter of next year, the precise date was the subject of discussions with the contractor involved due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
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Fair play to her…. The country is in good hands if the future has many more young intelligent entrepreneurs and inventors like her
Dependent on a constant stream of homeless people so plenty of business if Fine Gael remain in power all right.
A new socially progressive government which will sound the death knell for the Duffily bag though.
Fantastic young lady, good for her!
Over the last few weeks I have been out and about in Dublin mainly Grafton Street & O Connell Street,I have come across homeless people that are not skagbags or alcos. But normal working people who through no fault of their own lost their jobs relationship etc. Everytime I buy them hot food tea burger etc,The last time was on O Connell Street the lad lost his job split with the partner etc. I went into Mc Donalds ordered the lad a tea told the lad serving me that It was for a homeless person. I got the tea for free I was taken aback by this never would I have thought that with McDonald’s. I know people who are technically homeless surf couching between places. Yet again the government does nothing.
Well sais.
Good job. I do similar and was surprised at first at how they will give you things for free if you tell them but not any more. I live overseas now. Homelessness is everywhere and good people exist everywhere
So great to see a positive news story about teenagers. She is a credit to get parents and school
what a wonderful young lady and a credit to her country; a shining example to other teens who might be finding it hard to carve a positive direction in life ..
This is a great innovation but it is truly tragic that it is needed. A home is not a lot to ask for.
Fair play. Great work. Inventing the things the new real Ireland needs right now.
Would love to see the men’s sheds get involved in our main urban centres..seems tailor-made for the production and distribution locally..
Hopefully some teenage inventor / entrepreneur like Emily can present a project at the next Young Scientist Exhibition at RDS outlining how Ireland can create long-term funding to kick start an affordable housing programme to meet current rising demand.
Formulating any solution to this problem seems beyond the brain capacity of those currently at the helm at Ireland Inc.
Can some people stop making political statements on a good news story. Ir becomes very boring and repetitive. Leave those comments for political stories.
Yeah, this freedom of speech thing is getting totally out of hand.
Brilliant idea from another bright your irish youngster. Just goes to show how clever us irish really are and how far we have come as a society. It’s shows that people actually do care.
Genius I would expect nothing else from a “Limerick Lady” well done Emily you should be very proud of yourself. Good Luck in the leaving cert
Encouraging to see some our culturally enriching ‘former street-drinkers from Eastern Europe’ at last making a contribution in their host country, may many more thousands of you wonderful Eastern European street drinkers bless us it with your presence here.
It’s easy but not useful to demonise the homeless.
I couldn’t believe the negative backlash in the comments on some of the stories on this sleeping bag. They were truly nasty. Saying things like ” oh a sticking plaster product to make money off the homeless”. People were saying that homelessness shouldn’t exist and this product was somehow encouraging it. No need for authorities to do anything other than give out sleeping bags. To be honest I was livid. This girl was trying to help people on the streets right now. A practical response to the very practical problems of sleeping rough. It’s not some political football or some abstract concept. I really let fly on the haters and also told them how these bags were produced. It didn’t change their minds. Seems some people in foreign shores don’t want to actually do anything to help people sleeping rough today and tonight. They want to blame and complain but nothing more. Thankfully the younger generation like Emily Duffy give me hope for the future!!!!!!!
I was homeless for quite awhile & yes David I was a scagbag. I was homeless because drugs where an alternative to putting a rope around my neck,God forbid as some would have you believe I did just rope my self up then I’m sure you would have a comment about the land my decaying body took up & the finely hand crafted rope I waisted which could have been used to tie your small mind closer to your ass as both are as valid as each other.
Exelent I love to hear stories like this and that 15 year old kid is an inspiration to us all .great stuff
Rabble rabble Enda, rabble rabble Merkel, rabble irish water.
Sums up most people on here.
Bang on
so people from eastern Europe not that bad after all
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