How bad is Mountjoy?

It's not as bad as it's made out to be.
My exs brother done 9years he said life was easy they can rent PlayStations watch tv all night load of junk food good dinners.
Just once you keep urself to urself you'd be grand in saying that I still wouldn't like to go there.
He also said over the years it gradually got better.
I personally think they should hard labour and not treated so well cause majority that go there are scumbags including my exs bro

Depends on the prison itself, Mountjoy is probably the worst in ireland. US are one of the worst in western world imo, Californian prisons are the worst for white inmates, East Coast not as bad. South American prisons are way worse though, don't even get a bed in most just a rat infested floor.

I'm staying on the straight and narrow and keeping away from Mountjoy

I was there for a couple of months in my early twenties.

One of our regular posters either works there or lives there .
Probably works there.

He'll be along shortly .

Its not so bad these days environmentally, not one to a cell, some are doubled up. However, back around 10 years ago it was bad, no toilets, regularly 6 -8 to a cell in some parts, and if you unlucky enough to not know someone in the main jail while only in, you were left in the base with around 15 people sleeping on the floor. They came in at 6 and took the mattress off you too. Lol was dog rough in those days.

These days your more likely to be cut up, its more violent, but a little cleaner

noubliezjamais wrote:

But it seems like anglophone first world nations (particularly us, uk and ireland) have the worst prisons. Obviously prison isn't good anywhere you go but I can imagine that the prison brevik is in might be more comfortable than Arbour Hill or Mountjoy.

Arbour Hill is totally different to Mountjoy. Arbour Hill houses sex offenders and wife killers. These tend not to be violent, into drugs or troublesome in any way. As a result Arbour Hill is much more laid back than the main prisons.

noubliezjamais wrote:

Is it true inmates care only about "crimes against the weak" (women, children, elderly involving sex crimes or murder). Also true that few people with college degrees are in there or just bs?

Criminals always like to feel that there's someone worse than them. Armed robbers are looked up to believe it or not. They risk their lives when they go to work. Drug dealers come next on the ladder along with murderers. Then muggers & break in artists. These are sneak thieves. Guys in on baring orders come in next. They never admit that they are wrong. It's always the wife, mother or girlfriend who they terrorised at fault. They'll always say "I don't belong here". Sex offenders hold the second bottom rung with child sex offenders taking the lowest /bottom rung

Sleeper12 wrote: »

Armed robbers are looked up to believe it or not. They risk their lives when they go to work. Drug dealers come next on the ladder along with murderers. Then muggers & break in artists. These are sneak thieves. Guys in on baring orders come in next. They never admit that they are wrong. It's always the wife, mother or girlfriend who they terrorised at fault. They'll always say "I don't belong here". Sex offenders hold the second bottom rung with child sex offenders taking the lowest /bottom rung

That's all pretty bang on. You can put informants or ''rats'' just above sex or beside sex offenders too.

corner of hells wrote: »

I know some young ladies who spent some time in the premises next door , they affectionately call the Dochas , the Lady-joy.

No it has always been called the Rasher Factory

He couldn't really cope with the arrival of new, exciting players like Steve Davis

I would take Solitary. Give me a couple of books and regular tv, be grand.

CrankyHaus wrote: »

How many inside are addicts? 75%, more, less?

Don't know the numbers but I do know that Mountjoy itself is the biggest methadone dispensary in the country. If I was to guess percentages, using a random normal landing as an example, I'd say 35-40% are on heroin treatment programmes but you could easily double that for unofficial users.

TBH I would be more concerned about places like Arbour Hill, where most of the paedophiles and abusers and rapists are held. Some are in Midlands too.

They are considered model prisoners, they just do what they are told and get on with it, because they are not "criminals or addicts or violent" in their eyes. That has to stop.

But anyway, given the catchment area for the Joy or Wheatfield, it can be expected that there will be some idiots spoiling for a fight at some point.

I do think the prison service employees deserve great credit. Some of their members were darn nearly killed in a takeover/kidnap situation the the Joy some time ago.

I still do not understand how Arbour Hill is such a great place for sex offenders. I say this as I know someone who works there. Best transfer option ever they say.

I've never been in prison but I've been in addiction treatment centres ... as a result, I got to know plenty of people who ended up coming straight into treatment from prison, on TR. Almost all of them found treatment waaaay tougher than prison; in fact some returned to prison for more space and time and privacy, and an easier life.

I know a few mothers who came into treatment with their babies, the babies having spent their first few months in the Dochas. It actually sounds like quite a nice environment, almost certainly safer and better for the young baby than life on the outside with their mother in addiction.

Many lads I know in recovery don't hate prison, it's just been part of their life for a long time, to spend periods of time in and out of prison. Any education they got was almost always through prison. Drugs are always available, but recovery supports are available there too. It's structure and a bed and regular meals, more than most of them are used to on the outside, in fact many people I know will say that prison saved their lives and was the start of their recovery process.

I'd be confident I'd cope alright in prison myself, I don't relish the thought but I'd have no real fear around it. I've been through worse in my life. Hopefully I'll never end up there though.

Sleeper12 wrote: »

I've never understood this. These prisoners (sex crimes & wife murders) have it easier than regular prisoners. Someone in for small crimes have a harder time in prison than wife killers & sex offenders.

Someone in for two years for death by dangerous driving has a tougher sentence than a murderer or paedophile. Remember only last year or so a man was sent to jail for falling asleep at the wheel & killing someone when the car crashed. He could apply on a daily basis to be transferred to Arbour Hill but would never get it.

Why on Earth would you want to be transferred from a mainstream prison to Arbour Hill ?

Would you want to be associating with sex offenders ?

corner of hells wrote: »

Why on Earth would you want to be transferred from a mainstream prison to Arbour Hill ?

Would you want to be associating with sex offenders ?

Arbour Hill AFAIK is exclusively for serious sex offenders.

Only one way you are getting in there.

Omackeral wrote: »

The Joy isn't as bad as it was was 8 or 9 years ago. They all have their own cells now and they all have functioning toilets and running water etc. Before that, it was 2 and 3 people to a confined cell with no toilet facilities, it was a horrendous spot. Single cells with a basic tv, small kettle and a bit of head space is better than what came before it, for everyone.

Sounds better than most retirement homes I'll be able to afford. Plus free health care and food. Looks like we're heading the same way as Japan.

https://www.businessinsider.com/japan-aging-prison-2018-3?r=US&IR=T

I thought all prison were long periods of boredom punctuated by short periods of violence or is that all boys secondary schools.

Spanish Eyes wrote:

It is segregating sex offenders as not being criminals at all.

Totally agree.

Many sex offenders feel that they are the victims and that they shouldn't be in prison. Putting them in a more relaxed regime than regular prisoners reinforces the mentally that they aren't "real" prisoners.

Arbour Hill is the only prison that I have heard of that allows DVD players & movies in the cells. The main prisons do have small tvs but have limited channels or are restricted to the four Irish channels.

macnug wrote: »

Depends on the prison itself, Mountjoy is probably the worst in ireland. US are one of the worst in western world imo, Californian prisons are the worst for white inmates, East Coast not as bad. South American prisons are way worse though, don't even get a bed in most just a rat infested floor.

You're not a very good criminal are you. It seems everywhere you go you get locked up. Did you ever consider that crime isn't really your thing.

Sex offenders can be on anything up to a life sentence but there is no death penalty in this country so they have to be segregated as it's likely they would be killed if placed in the regular prison population.

I'm keeping an eye to see the if anything comes of the investigation into Whitey Bulger's death in the US. It was pretty clear that he would be killed over there when put in the regular population in that prison.

Whitey was no saint as everybody knows but he didn't get a death sentence but somebody who is not a judge decided to give him the death penalty. That guy should be jailed for life.
If something like that happened in this country a lot of jobs would be lost.