Slasher McCreevy's attack on prisoners

Margaret McKearney 15 Nov 2002

Tonight the early evening RTE news bulletin carried the story of the abolishment of the grant for first time home buyers and the outrage felt by those so affected.  Whilst in part this outrage may be justified, a morning paper carried a report of the Spencer Dock sell out, a snip at anything up to €600,000, with parking optional at another mere €40,000, one feels that the loss of €3,610 may not cause the hardship that governmental cuts in other areas may result in.  Likewise the almost derisory increase in the health budget in no way approaches the pre-election pledges by the Government, though this is hardly surprising when one considers Rory O’Hanlon’s track record, of managing to allow the serious run down of a major hospital in his own constituency.  Not to be overlooked is the attack on third level education, that great signifier of potential high wage earning and or power status.  However whilst these areas are rightfully and laudably highlighted as causes for concern, no one is mentioning the cut back in the courts and prison services.

This is not a fashionable concern; possibly there is no increase in either votes or circulation figures to be gained by running with this particular story. What does affluent Ireland care if the cut backs in the prison service results in even more crowded cells, and lack of re-orientation education, particularly for young offenders and in tragically too many instances, despair, leading to the loss of a life.  These adolescents and young adults are not worried about the cuts in Third Level support by the Government or the abolishment of a grant for first time buyers, for them Third Level was never an option and home ownership only a dream.  What is a reality for them is an ever ending spiral of poverty, social exclusion, discrimination by the establishment which has revealed a level of corruption unprecedented by even the most hardened inmates of Mountjoy.  Mc Creevy has again demonstrated a breath-taking disregard for the vulnerable sections of our society.  Regardless of the removal of the first time buyers grant, first time buyers will still queue up for developments such as Spencer Dock, and regardless of a reduction in government support for universities the more affluent will still fill the quadrangles and squares these elite establishments.  It could be indeed argued, that this measure by keeping the poorer out, frees up places for the wealthier - those that can actually pay their way through college.

But who will ease the burden of our social prisoners, who will ensure that if we must subscribe to custodial measures, that this retraction of liberty for crimes, particularly against property, is served in an humane and just manner and at the end of the sentence the prisoner is released back into society with some life-coping skills and not in a coffin.  Perhaps when Ireland finally moves on, and jails white collar crime and enforce ‘Common’ Law as opposed to ‘Cannon’ law will we see prisoners treated humanely

Margaret McKearney 15 Nov 2002