Yesterday, the Minister for Justice signed off on plans to progress the construction of a second prison in The Glen on Cork’s Northside. This is despite a vigorous campaign opposing the prison building project led by local residents and politicians.
A spokesperson for the Irish Penal Abolition Network noted that:
“While the Minister for Justice is at pains to sell this new prison as a simple extension of the existing prison, the proposed new prison with 330 spaces is significantly larger in scale than the current prison on the other side of the road. The reality is that a second, larger prison is being built in The Glen community of North Cork, only eleven years after the previous prison opened. Many residents of the Glen are opposed to this development and submitted planning objections. But their concerns have been ignored by the Minister for Justice.”
The Minister for Justice emphasised the conservation priorities on the site of the old Cork Prison.
The spokesperson continued:
“The sudden emphasis by the Minister for Justice on the conservation of the old Cork Prison, closely associated with Thomas Kent, is simply appropriating the campaign message of the local community and historians.”
“This new commitment to conservation of heritage alongside the construction of a new prison reveals a lot about the current Government and its vision for Ireland as a modern Republic. It is revealing to preserve and commemorate a historical site, like the cell of Thomas Kent, by building an adjacent new prison. Rather than learn from the past horrors of imprisonment and build community facilities for everyone’s benefit, the Government is set on prison expansion and creating more misery.”
Using the Part 9 planning process permitting ministerial discretion, prisons are exempt from standard planning permission process.
The spokesperson expanded:
“Without engaging fully with the community and local government structures, this planning exemption utilised by the Minister raised questions over transparency and centralised governance. Meaningful engagement with the community became a paper exercise as the exemption in legislation was always available. Many residents of the Glen were vehemently opposed to the expansion of the Cork prison site due to the negative impact the existing prison has on their community. The Minister’s discretion meant these concerns would never be meaningfully considered.”
In closing:
“Every new prison opened and extension constructed up to 2031 will be a lasting physical reminder of this Government’s failure to promote public care and safety through community development. Prisons do not rehabilitate nor do they make communities safer, yet this Government continues to use the prison system as a catch-all when other health and welfare supports are under-resourced. The residents of the Glen want more housing and community facilities for their children, young people and elderly, these requests have gone ignored in favour of pain and punishment.”
