Dublin ‘super prison’ remains on the cards

Thornton Hall – the site of a proposed ‘super prison’ – remains on a list of the State’s potential future prison projects. The north Co. Dublin site is currently being developed to provide tented accommodation for asylum seekers.

However, Justice Minister Helen McEntee said the Department of Justice has a ‘strong strategic interest’ in Thornton Hall for possible future prison expansion.

The 150-acre site was acquired for €30m in 2005 and had been earmarked as the location for a new 2,200-bed ‘super prison’ to replace Mountjoy Prison.

But with chronic overcrowding levels in the country’s prisons, Ms McEntee said Thornton Hall is still very much on the radar for future projects.

‘While retaining a proportion of the site for any future prison needs, the Department of Justice has made the Thornton Hall site at North County Dublin available to other agencies,’ she said in response to parliamentary queries from Aontú leader Peader Tóibín.

‘I am establishing a working group on future prison capacity to make recommendations on future developments, including at Thornton Hall.’

‘The working group will review the previous plans to develop a prison at Thornton Hall and consider the part that this available site can play in meeting the future accommodation requirements of the prison system.’

‘It will also have regard to international best practice in effective sanctions and rehabilitative practice and effective alternatives to imprisonment.’

Despite growing concerns over prison overcrowding, the minister said the Government ‘has made significant capital funding available to the Irish Prison Service in order to enhance the existing prison infrastructure and to provide additional capacity’.

She added: ‘This has been increased by in excess of 200 new spaces through the reopening of the training unit in Mountjoy, the opening of new male accommodation in Limerick and the new standalone female prison in Limerick.’

Other prison projects include almost €50m of capital works at Castlerea, Cloverhill, the Midlands and Mountjoy prisons.

Ms McEntee said she had secured additional capital funding of €49.5m to commence the delivery of capital commitments, to allow the Prison Service to address capacity issues within the system and ensure it is suitable for a growing population.

She said: ‘Preparatory work will commence this year on these four key projects as part of an accelerated capital construction programme.’

‘The additional capital funding will also be used to advance short-term projects currently being pursued by the Prison Service that are expected to deliver over 150 spaces this year.’