POA agm : call for end to dissident parades

national | worker & community struggles and protests | other press Friday May 01, 2009 16:29 by Harvey Duff

Leaders of the Prison Officers Association (POA) whose annual general meeting is being held in Castlebar , Co Mayo this week have called for a crackdown on the activities of dissident paramilitary prisoners held in Portlaoise Prison .

At a time when the prison service faces an acute shortage of staff and cell space , 48 Continuity IRA, Real IRA and INLA inmates are currently allocated 120 cells at Portlaoise on four landings . Inmates can order in special food like steak to be cooked for them in the jail .

The POA is particularly concerned about subversives holding military parades in the jail and has urged the Minister of Justice to intervene to stop them . But Prison Service boss , Brian Purcell , has rejected the union’s complaint saying that republican prisoners have always been treated differently to ordinary criminals .

see:
http://www.rte.ie/news/2009/0501/prison.html