Lonergan says Prison report doesn’t give full story

The report has found there is no clear strategy for dealing with gangs in our jails. 

The assessment from Inspector of Prisons – Clonmel native Judge Michael Reilly – says some staff are turning a blind eye to gang activities. 

It also says it's the victims of such gang violence who get transferred to other prisons rather than the service dealing with the perpetrators. 

However former Mountjoy governor and Bansha native John Lonergan says while the report is useful in that it does highlight a number of issues it does have some shortcomings.

He felt it was weak on recognising the reality that people in management in prisons and prison officers are faced with day-in day-out.

John Lonergan described it as very simplistic to bring in “experts” to walk around a prison and then to make very generalised statements about the lack of “this, that and the other”.