State must protect our prison staff

A UNION has revealed a rise in attacks on female prison officers by male inmates including a sexual assault.

A conference in Kilkenny heard staff have also been beaten and smashed against the wall.

There is little doubt this is one of Ireland’s most difficult jobs – overseeing killers and warring gangs as they seek control.

Irish prisons are also overcrowded with inmates sleeping on the floor of cells on mattresses.

All the while, warders, represented by the Prison Officers’ Association, are asked to bring order to the chaos.

Jail staff have been hit by a funding shortfall and caps on recruitment but also face another growing problem.

There has clearly been a societal shift in which criminals have been emboldened.

They are guaranteed time off their sentences in the form of remission.

Officers make a complaint, gardai investigate, the matter goes to court and the attacker will get soft sentences for attacks on officers – the deterrent is not there.

The days of hard time are gone and in many respects that was a choice by society but the result is prison officers are in the firing line.

They have asked for more protection and the Government must respect their wishes and give them the tools and protocols to support them.