Mountjoy
Six weeks ago Ned Whelan took over the toughest job in the Irish Prison system, that job is Governor of Mountjoy which houses 700 inmates. Ned Whelan is not new to the prison system but has a proven track record in dealing firmly but fairly with those in his care.
Ned Whelan while Governor of Wheatfield Prison introduced a pragmatic regime in relation to drug use and abuse. As Governor Whelan reduced the supply of drugs to prisoners in Wheatfield he also turned 10% of the prisons accommodation into drug free areas. These two landings provided for both drug users and non-drug users to live in an area that did not have the daily routine of drug abuse every time they stepped out of their cell. These prisoners were not treated with kid gloves, nor did they live in luxury, they were simply able to stay drug free by being in a drug free environment in which they could have daily access to Prison Officers and other professionals who wanted to develop the drug free environment.
Many prisoners who would normally have returned to drug use and abuse, robbery, burglaries, violence and so forth walked away from Wheatfield as new men and entered employment, training and education. Governor Whelan could simply have punched in his time in Wheatfield and not bothered himself about Community Safety, however, Governor Whelan is a man of vision and he has now taken that vision to Mountjoy.
Yesterday 24th of August 2010 prison staff in Mountjoy reacted badly to the transfer of a violent prisoner to Mountjoy, that prisoner having previously led a riot in Mountjoy and been involved in a serious assault on a prison officer. While the actions of prison staff is understood, it is important that prison staff are not allowed to dictate who is and who is not housed in our prisons. Those of us who know the prison system know that there are good officers and there are bad officers. Some officers have turned a blind eye when certain prisoners were assaulted, some prison officers have supplied confidential information to the tabloids about certain high profile prisoners, and some prison officers have been charged and convicted of supplying drugs, mobile phones and so forth to certain prisoners.
Ned Whelan needs the full support of our politicians and the community in order that he can continue to do his job to the high standards for which he is known. It is important that the POA is not allowed to dictate prison policy, if that were allowed to happen our system would go into free fall. When the Court makes an Order, Ned Whelan must abide by that Order, Ned Whelan will use his experience and judgement to determine what is in the best interest of his staff and those in his care. Political knee jerk reaction must not be part of prisons policy and one hopes that Dermot Ahern continues to work in a progressive and professional manner with professionals like Ned Whelan, who from my experience puts the safety of his staff first and foremost, the protection and safety of those in his care and Community safety run parallel with his firm yet fair implementation of policy and procedure.
By theirishobserver.blogspot.com
