Dóchas Centre
Encyclopedia
The Dóchas Centre is a closed, medium security prison for females aged 18 years and over located in Mountjoy Prison
in Dublin. It is also the committal prison for females committed on remand or sentenced from all Courts outside the Munster
area of Ireland
.
Dóchas is one of two women's prisons in Ireland, the other is located in Limerick Prison
. It has a staff of 88 not including teachers, chaplain
s, probation and welfare, doctors, psychiatrists and counsellors.
Dóchas is the Irish
for hope making the literal name of the prison "Centre for Hope."
. The small numbers of women at the time were moved to a basement of one wing of St Patrick’s Institution. Female prisoners were detained in the basement until 1990 when they were moved into one wing of St Patrick’s Institution. The wing was used for female prisoners until 1999 when women moved into the Dóchas Centre. A campus style female prison within Mountjoy Prison, Dóchas was designed for twice the number of female prisoners that the old wing of St. Patrick’s Institution could accommodate.
of the centre is for inmates to live as close as possible to a life in ordinary accommodation. The prison operates with inmates expected to behave in the same way as one would manage their own home in relation to cleaning, cooking, laundering etc. The regimes within the centre is on training and development. These activities are structured like a normal working day. Staff are encouraged to wear civilian clothing rather than uniform
s.
Inmates live in en-suite rooms with keys to their rooms meaning they can move about relatively freely. Houses are locked at 7.30pm with all the women in the prison being locked into their rooms at that time except for women in Cedar and Phoenix Houses. Houses and rooms are unlocked at 7.30am. Prisoners organise their own breakfasts in the kitchens of the houses and eat lunch with prison staff in the dining room with an evening meal being served in the dining room at 5pm. Each house has a kitchen/dining room with sitting
room facility which contains a television and reading material.
Mothers are permitted to keep new born babies with them in the centre but when the children reach 12 months old, they must leave the prison.
and Junior Cert
courses.
There is a gym which runs aerobic classes and a sport and fitness programme as well as an outdoor basketball court.
There is also a Health Care Unit staffed by nurses and a doctor with a visiting psychiatric and dental service.
, manslaughter
or conspiracy to murder, another quarter serving sentences of over a year for robbery
, theft or criminal-damage offences with a 20% plus serving sentences for possession of drugs for the purpose of supply.
Drugs are a problem with inmates with cannabis
being the most common although E tablets have been found. Approximately 30% of the prisoners on methadone
maintenance.
Although the prison is designated to accommodate females over 18 years of age, there has been cases of juveniles
being remanded to the centre.
killers, Charlotte Mulhall holding a knife to a male inmate's throat. The resulting fallout led to a security audit being carried out at the prison with the installation of walk through detectors and X-ray
scanners at the prison. Mulhall herself was transferred to Limerick Prison. Fine Gael
justice spokesman Charlie Flanagan said: "Prisoners are holding up two fingers to the criminal justice system and these pictures show that prison security is a shambles. It beggars belief that a convicted knife murderer would be allowed access to a potentially lethal kitchen knife". Labour Party
justice spokesman Pat Rabbitte
asked "How is it that a prisoner convicted of a particularly gruesome murder was apparently in possession of what appears to be a potentially lethal knife?"
In April 2010 Governor Kathleen McMahon announced her resignation as governor of the Dochas Centre fearing a reversion to "self-mutilation, bullying, depression and lesbianism". One of the features of the prison was that each prisoner had their own room. In the weeks leading up to her resignation there were cases where five inmates were sharing a room. The resignation was as a result of a failure by the Department of Justice to consult her about putting in bunk beds to hold more prisoners. As of June 2010, 106 inmates were in custody with a further 73 inmates on temporary release.
Overcrowding has been compounded by homelessness with some prisoners being granted release refusing to leave as they have nowhere to live. In one case an inmate who was granted early release was arrested after trying to break in by scaling the gate of the prison to return to the centre.
Mountjoy Prison
Mountjoy Prison , founded as Mountjoy Gaol, nicknamed The Joy, is a medium security prison located in Phibsboro in the centre of Dublin, Ireland. It has the largest prison population in Ireland.The current prison governor is Mr...
in Dublin. It is also the committal prison for females committed on remand or sentenced from all Courts outside the Munster
Munster
Munster is one of the Provinces of Ireland situated in the south of Ireland. In Ancient Ireland, it was one of the fifths ruled by a "king of over-kings" . Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the ancient kingdoms were shired into a number of counties for administrative and judicial purposes...
area of Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
.
Dóchas is one of two women's prisons in Ireland, the other is located in Limerick Prison
Limerick Prison
Limerick Prison, Mulgrave Street, Limerick is an Irish penal institution. It is a closed, medium security prison, It has an official capacity of 290 male beds and 20 female beds...
. It has a staff of 88 not including teachers, chaplain
Chaplain
Traditionally, a chaplain is a minister in a specialized setting such as a priest, pastor, rabbi, or imam or lay representative of a religion attached to a secular institution such as a hospital, prison, military unit, police department, university, or private chapel...
s, probation and welfare, doctors, psychiatrists and counsellors.
Dóchas is the Irish
Irish language
Irish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is now spoken as a first language by a minority of Irish people, as well as being a second language of a larger proportion of...
for hope making the literal name of the prison "Centre for Hope."
History
Mountjoy Female Prison opened in 1858 and has been the largest female prison in the country ever since. In 1956 the female prison at Mountjoy was given over to young male offenders and became St. Patrick's InstitutionSt. Patrick's Institution
St. Patrick's Institution, North Circular Road, Dublin 7, is an Irish penal facility for 16- to 21-year-old males. It has a capacity of 217 beds and had an average inmate population of 221 in 2009. It is a closed, medium security prison.-History:...
. The small numbers of women at the time were moved to a basement of one wing of St Patrick’s Institution. Female prisoners were detained in the basement until 1990 when they were moved into one wing of St Patrick’s Institution. The wing was used for female prisoners until 1999 when women moved into the Dóchas Centre. A campus style female prison within Mountjoy Prison, Dóchas was designed for twice the number of female prisoners that the old wing of St. Patrick’s Institution could accommodate.
Ethos
The ethosEthos
Ethos is a Greek word meaning "character" that is used to describe the guiding beliefs or ideals that characterize a community, nation, or ideology. The Greeks also used this word to refer to the power of music to influence its hearer's emotions, behaviors, and even morals. Early Greek stories of...
of the centre is for inmates to live as close as possible to a life in ordinary accommodation. The prison operates with inmates expected to behave in the same way as one would manage their own home in relation to cleaning, cooking, laundering etc. The regimes within the centre is on training and development. These activities are structured like a normal working day. Staff are encouraged to wear civilian clothing rather than uniform
Uniform
A uniform is a set of standard clothing worn by members of an organization while participating in that organization's activity. Modern uniforms are worn by armed forces and paramilitary organizations such as police, emergency services, security guards, in some workplaces and schools and by inmates...
s.
Accommodation and Facilities
Prisoners are accommodated in seven separate houses with each house accommodating ten to twelve people except for one called Cedar which can accommodate eighteen women. The pre-release centre called Phoenix accommodates women in private rooms or in self-contained studio apartments.Inmates live in en-suite rooms with keys to their rooms meaning they can move about relatively freely. Houses are locked at 7.30pm with all the women in the prison being locked into their rooms at that time except for women in Cedar and Phoenix Houses. Houses and rooms are unlocked at 7.30am. Prisoners organise their own breakfasts in the kitchens of the houses and eat lunch with prison staff in the dining room with an evening meal being served in the dining room at 5pm. Each house has a kitchen/dining room with sitting
room facility which contains a television and reading material.
Mothers are permitted to keep new born babies with them in the centre but when the children reach 12 months old, they must leave the prison.
Education and training programmes
The centre offers training and education programmes to inmates. These include:- hairdressing, beauty therapy and photography as well as FETAC programmes and LeavingLeaving Certificate
The Leaving Certificate Examinations , commonly referred to as the Leaving Cert is the final examination in the Irish secondary school system. It takes a minimum of two years preparation, but an optional Transition Year means that for those students it takes place three years after the Junior...
and Junior Cert
Junior Certificate
The Junior Certificate is an educational qualification awarded in Ireland by the Department of Education to students who have successfully completed the junior cycle of secondary education, and achieved a minimum standard in their Junior Cert. examinations...
courses.
There is a gym which runs aerobic classes and a sport and fitness programme as well as an outdoor basketball court.
There is also a Health Care Unit staffed by nurses and a doctor with a visiting psychiatric and dental service.
Prisoner profile
The centre holds women on remand, women awaiting sentencing, sentenced prisoners, and women detained under immigration legislation. The director-general of the Irish Prison Service, Brian Purcell, categorised the inmates as a quarter serving sentences for murderMurder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
, manslaughter
Manslaughter
Manslaughter is a legal term for the killing of a human being, in a manner considered by law as less culpable than murder. The distinction between murder and manslaughter is said to have first been made by the Ancient Athenian lawmaker Dracon in the 7th century BC.The law generally differentiates...
or conspiracy to murder, another quarter serving sentences of over a year for robbery
Robbery
Robbery is the crime of taking or attempting to take something of value by force or threat of force or by putting the victim in fear. At common law, robbery is defined as taking the property of another, with the intent to permanently deprive the person of that property, by means of force or fear....
, theft or criminal-damage offences with a 20% plus serving sentences for possession of drugs for the purpose of supply.
Drugs are a problem with inmates with cannabis
Cannabis
Cannabis is a genus of flowering plants that includes three putative species, Cannabis sativa, Cannabis indica, and Cannabis ruderalis. These three taxa are indigenous to Central Asia, and South Asia. Cannabis has long been used for fibre , for seed and seed oils, for medicinal purposes, and as a...
being the most common although E tablets have been found. Approximately 30% of the prisoners on methadone
Methadone
Methadone is a synthetic opioid, used medically as an analgesic and a maintenance anti-addictive for use in patients with opioid dependency. It was developed in Germany in 1937...
maintenance.
Although the prison is designated to accommodate females over 18 years of age, there has been cases of juveniles
Young offender
A young offender is a young person who has been convicted or cautioned for a criminal offence. Criminal justice systems often deal with young offenders differently from adult offenders, but different countries apply the term 'young offender' to different age groups depending on the age of criminal...
being remanded to the centre.
Prisoner pictures in the media
In August 2008, pictures taken on a mobile phone appeared in the media of Scissor sistersScissor Sisters (convicted killers)
Linda and Charlotte Mulhall are sisters from Dublin, Ireland, known for having killed and dismembered the Kenyan immigrant, Farah Swaleh Noor, in March 2005. Noor was killed with a Stanley knife wielded by Charlotte and struck with a hammer by Linda following a confrontation with the sisters and...
killers, Charlotte Mulhall holding a knife to a male inmate's throat. The resulting fallout led to a security audit being carried out at the prison with the installation of walk through detectors and X-ray
X-ray
X-radiation is a form of electromagnetic radiation. X-rays have a wavelength in the range of 0.01 to 10 nanometers, corresponding to frequencies in the range 30 petahertz to 30 exahertz and energies in the range 120 eV to 120 keV. They are shorter in wavelength than UV rays and longer than gamma...
scanners at the prison. Mulhall herself was transferred to Limerick Prison. Fine Gael
Fine Gael
Fine Gael is a centre-right to centrist political party in the Republic of Ireland. It is the single largest party in Ireland in the Oireachtas, in local government, and in terms of Members of the European Parliament. The party has a membership of over 35,000...
justice spokesman Charlie Flanagan said: "Prisoners are holding up two fingers to the criminal justice system and these pictures show that prison security is a shambles. It beggars belief that a convicted knife murderer would be allowed access to a potentially lethal kitchen knife". Labour Party
Labour Party (Ireland)
The Labour Party is a social-democratic political party in the Republic of Ireland. The Labour Party was founded in 1912 in Clonmel, County Tipperary, by James Connolly, James Larkin and William X. O'Brien as the political wing of the Irish Trade Union Congress. Unlike the other main Irish...
justice spokesman Pat Rabbitte
Pat Rabbitte
Pat Rabbitte is an Irish Labour Party politician who has been Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources since March 2011...
asked "How is it that a prisoner convicted of a particularly gruesome murder was apparently in possession of what appears to be a potentially lethal knife?"
Overcrowding controversy
Dochas is designed to accommodate 85 prisoners but frequently runs at 136 per cent capacity, around 115 prisoners.In April 2010 Governor Kathleen McMahon announced her resignation as governor of the Dochas Centre fearing a reversion to "self-mutilation, bullying, depression and lesbianism". One of the features of the prison was that each prisoner had their own room. In the weeks leading up to her resignation there were cases where five inmates were sharing a room. The resignation was as a result of a failure by the Department of Justice to consult her about putting in bunk beds to hold more prisoners. As of June 2010, 106 inmates were in custody with a further 73 inmates on temporary release.
Overcrowding has been compounded by homelessness with some prisoners being granted release refusing to leave as they have nowhere to live. In one case an inmate who was granted early release was arrested after trying to break in by scaling the gate of the prison to return to the centre.
High profile inmates
The centre has housed and continues to house a number of high-profile inmates, these include:-- Shell to SeaShell to SeaShell to Sea is a campaign based in Cill Chomáin parish, Erris, County Mayo, Ireland which opposes the proposed construction of a natural gas pipeline through the parish and the ongoing construction by Royal Dutch Shell, Statoil and Vermilion Energy Trust of a refinery at Bellanaboy intended to...
activist, Maura HarringtonMaura HarringtonMaura Harrington was a spokesperson for the Shell to Sea campaign, from County Mayo, Ireland. A retired school principal of Inver National School, Harrington was previously involved in fundraising for the British Miners' Strike as well as campaigning against the Maastricht treaty.She has been...
. - Catherine NevinCatherine NevinCatherine Nevin is an Irish woman who was convicted in 2000 of murdering her husband Tom Nevin at Jack White's Inn, a pub owned by the couple in County Wicklow. The jury in her trial also found her guilty on three charges of soliciting others to kill him after five days of deliberation, then the...
- Scissor SistersScissor Sisters (convicted killers)Linda and Charlotte Mulhall are sisters from Dublin, Ireland, known for having killed and dismembered the Kenyan immigrant, Farah Swaleh Noor, in March 2005. Noor was killed with a Stanley knife wielded by Charlotte and struck with a hammer by Linda following a confrontation with the sisters and...
killers Linda and Charlotte Mulhall and their mother, Kathleen. - Sharon Collins
Future
There are plans to replace the Dóchas Centre with a new women's prison as part of the planned Thornton Hall prison complex.See also
- Prisons in IrelandPrisons in IrelandHistorically, Ireland has enjoyed an extremely low rate of imprisonment. Recently, however, there has been considerable growthin the prison population.-Authority:...
- Administrative detentionAdministrative detentionAdministrative detention is arrest and detention of individuals by the state without trial, usually for security reasons. A large number of countries, both democratic and undemocratic, resort to administrative detention as a means to combat terrorism, control illegal immigration, or to protect the...
- Maricopa County Jail