Lawyers call for ‘slopping out’ redress scheme

Three solicitors spoke to The Irish Times in the wake of a landmark High Court decision that Mountjoy Prison’s slopping out policy violated a prisoner’s right to privacy.

Gareth Noble, partner at Dublin firm KOD Lyons, said an out-of-court individual case assessment scheme would have a much smaller cost to the State than an estimated 1,200 individual lawsuits.

Matthew Burns of Newbridge-based Burns Nowlan said a redress scheme would be the “most sensible”, efficient and cost-effective route.

Cahir O’Higgins of Cahir O’Higgins & Co., who acted for the prisoner in the successful High Court case, agreed it would be “beneficial” for the State to consider a “mechanism” for compensating prisoners.

Mr Noble’s firm is pursuing 100 cases related to slopping out, while Mr Burns’ and Mr O’Higgins’ firms are each pursuing 200 cases.

It is not yet known if the State will appeal the High Court judgment.