Courts / Laois / Report

Prisoners not being brought to 'any court in the land' amidst serious Covid outbreaks

Summary

In a High Court hearing on 17 November 2021, Governor Anthony Harris of Cloverhill Prison explained that the prison was in a "silo mentality" due to a serious Covid‑19 outbreak. He said the majority of the remand wing was closed, with prisoners confined to small pods for essential services and no showers or exercise. Mass testing was underway, and staff who were asymptomatic contacts were considered the main risk. Harris reported that Cloverhill, Midlands Prison in Portlaoise and one element of Mountjoy Prison were affected, while Wheatfield Prison was "sterile". He stated that the prison could not produce the named prisoner for trial without endangering him or the population, and that inter‑prison transfers were not occurring. The judge declined to order the prisoner's production, noting the difficulty of ensuring safe transport and the potential for reinfection. The case was scheduled for mention on Friday.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Prisoners not being brought to 'any court in the land' amidst serious Covid outbreaks. Procedural stage: charge_or_pretrial

When:

• March 2020 Hearing Or Sentence
• 2021-11-17 Publication

Why: Staff who are asymptomatic contacts are "the danger" to the prison, he said, and explained that when anyone comes into Cloverhill Prison they must go into quarantine. CNI source report

Places mentioned

Topics

Stage Charge Or Pretrial

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Read the original CNI report