The Governor of Mountjoy Prison has told how last week’s shiv attack on one of his officers was “traumatic and terrible”.
Eddie Mullins said the incident highlighted the risks of transporting inmates outside of jail but insisted the vast majority of them pass off without incident. An officer was stabbed with a shiv, an improvised bladed weapon, while transporting killer Graham McEvoy back to Dublin’s north inner city prison from a medical appointment.
The injured warder and his colleagues were able to return the thug back to Mountjoy. It follows a number of attacks behind bars in the facility, which houses major Kinahan cartel members, over the past year.
Read more: Prison officer stabbed by convicted murderer Graham McEvoy in attempted escape
They include the murder of Robert O’Connor, who was beaten and stamped on by four others. Mr Mullins added the staff involved in last week’s incident are “being looked after” and are “on the road to recovery”.
He told the Irish Mirror: “The incident is traumatic and terrible in many respects. But for the most part, these things don’t happen. We would carry out several thousand escorts every year and the vast, vast majority of them go off without any incident.
“Last week’s incident was an unfortunate incident and it highlights the risks associated with taking people out of the prisons. But it doesn’t reflect the norm. Last year’s incident with Robert O’Connor is a tragedy which is under investigation, it wouldn’t be appropriate to comment.
“Prisons are very dangerous in many respects. And the risks associated with the violence are definitely heightened in prisons.”
The Irish Prison Service estimates 70% of lags have an “active” drug addiction. While it is thought around 40% arrive in jails with drugs ingested in their system while narcotics also continue to be smuggled in.
Mobile phones across prisons also are on the rise. Scott Capper, a close ally of Finglas mobster Mr Flashy, has been active on social media posting videos from behind bars in Mountjoy. The Irish Prison Service’s Operational Support Group have had major successes in shutting down routes in recent years.
In 2020, the team nabbed cocaine, pills, mobile phones and whiskey which was being smuggled into Mountjoy in a delivery van. But Mr Mullins described the jail setting as a “mini town” and when one route is shut down, another opens.
He told us: “There’s always been routes into prisons for contraband. When we close down one route, another route opens up. That’s the reality of prison.
“It’s an international problem. Prisons are like mini towns, there’s people coming and going all the time.
“And people are put under pressure to carry contraband and people make money out of it as well, so it’s a complex problem.”
Mr Mullins, who has worked in the IPS for over 30 years, added drugs and contraband has “always been a problem”. He said: “In my opinion, I don’t particularly think it’s any worse than what it was.”
He is keen on initiatives that help rehabilitate inmates and also to equip them for life upon their release – a challenge each one faces. He backed a sporting initiative which saw Dublin GAA star Philly McMahon and comedian Rory O’Connor come into Mountjoy prison for a 12-week programme last year.
TV show Gaelic In The Joy, which airs tomorrow night on RTE One, shows how the pair took a group of inmates who are participating in a rehabilitation programme and prepared them for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to play at Dublin’s Croke Park.
Mr Mullins said: “What’s important to me about it is, when a person is trying to rehabilitate or reintegrate into society, they need as many supports as possible. Sport is huge in Ireland. People are fanatical about sport and it’s a very inclusive sport. I saw a great opportunity working particularly with the GAA.
“The GAA is in every community. And it’s to generate and build a relationship with them that might help people reintegrate back into society.
“The other reason is, programmes like this shine a light on challenges people face in prison.
“I think this programme gives a balance in terms of the individuals participating in it and also it shows what prison is really like.”
Gaelic In The Joy airs on RTE One tomorrow night at 9.35pm.
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