THE head of the Irish Prison Service last night sharply reprimanded the chaplain of Mountjoy prison and described as "irresponsible" comments that the jail was a volcano waiting to erupt.The intervention of Brian Purcell marked a sharp escalation in the war of words over the levels of overcrowding at the Dublin jail.
Mountjoy chaplain Father Charles Hoey described the north Dublin prison as a volcano waiting to erupt following three serious violent incidents there last week.
However, the comments were branded as "irresponsible" by Mr Purcell, director general of the Irish Prison Service.
More than 610 inmates spent last night in Mountjoy even though the prison has just 540 bed spaces and was designed to hold just 420. Last week, occupancy reached almost 660. During 2007, the average occupancy per day was just 518.
The row gathered steam last night as officials from the Prison Officers' Association and the Prison Service were locked in talks on the issue.
Fr Hoey said: "Mountjoy prison is like a volcano because of high numbers. There is always the fear that the place will erupt."
The chaplain told RTE that overcrowding was adversely affecting access to school and workshops, impacting on visiting time, and greatly adding to stress and strain in the prison on a daily basis.
But the comments were slammed by Mr Purcell, who said staff were doing their best to deal with the issue.
"I don't accept that statement from the chaplain and I think it is a little bit irresponsible," said Mr Purcell.
Mr Purcell insisted the number of attacks within prisons each year, standing at over 700, was small in comparison with the number of people going through the prison system.
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