Portlaoise prisoners to take class action lawsuit against the State
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Prisoners at Portlaoise Prison are bringing a class action lawsuit against the State in what is believed to be the first case by prisoners of its kind.
A group of prisoners have engaged Louth firm Dermot Lavery & Co and barrister Michael O’Higgins SC in a bid to force the Irish Prison Service to move them to another facility or renovate the existing facility, The Irish Times reports.
Portlaoise Prison is the only high security prison in Ireland and one of the oldest still in operation, having been built in the 1830s.
It houses prisoners convicted of offences under section 30 of theOffences Against the State Act, including a number of dissident republicans.
A number of complaints have been made about the quality of the building and the ongoing practice of prisoners “slopping out”.
A refuse protest on one prison landing was resolved after talks with Irish Prison Service officials last weekend, but the legal action will continue.
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