Inmates living in 'deplorable' conditions at Mountjoy and Cloverhill, inspections find

Darragh Mc Donagh

A series of follow-up inspections carried out at Mountjoy and Cloverhill prisons have revealed “deplorable” living conditions as well as “inhuman and degrading” treatment of inmates, according to the Office of the Inspector of Prisons (OIP).

Broken windows in cells, leaking toilets, torn-up linoleum, mould, and nails protruding through floors were observed during an inspection of Mountjoy Prison last summer, while toilets in common areas were blocked and filthy.

Prisoners were only being provided with one towel per week, and the quality of their bedding was poor. There were torn duvet covers, ripped mattresses, while some inmates had to fashion pillows from their own clothes.

Mattresses were wedged at an angle next to in-cell lavatories, and the living conditions of some inmates sharing cells were “deplorable” as well as “inhuman and degrading”, Chief Inspector of Prisons Mark Kelly wrote in a newly published report.

Record-keeping at Mountjoy was also criticised, with Mr Kelly noting that incidents in which prisoners had injured each other were noted, but incidents in which inmates had been allegedly hospitalised by staff were not.

During a follow-up inspection of Cloverhill Prison in December 2024, it was noted that the majority of recommendations made during an earlier visit had yet to be implemented. Conditions at the facility remained “degrading”, the report said.

“The only significant difference was that a higher proportion of people in the prison were being held in degrading conditions,” wrote Mr Kelly.

An audit of the in-cell call system, which inmates can use to alert staff to emergencies, found that tape or pieces of card were being used to mute alarms so calls from cells would not make any sound.

“This practice, evident throughout the prison, implies that prison officers were not responding to calls and that [assistant chief officers] were not overseeing the system,” wrote Mr Kelly.

“The issues identified during the inspection with the call cell system pose a serious risk to the safety and wellbeing of prisoners at Cloverhill Prison,” he added.

Mr Kelly claimed that holding people in overcrowded and degrading conditions for 22 hours a day was creating “a breeding ground for violence and generating a risk to life” at Cloverhill.

Over the previous 12 months, there were 297 recorded prisoner-on-prisoner assaults at the facility, as well as 27 prisoner-on-staff assaults.

The reports, which were published for the first time today, also highlighted staffing shortages at both prisons, and said healthcare at the facilities was in a state of “serious risk”.