It follows the airing of an RTÉ documentary that shows the reality of our strained mental health system
Cork Prison
A Cork TD has called for more beds and staff at our mental health institutions to put a stop to the ‘unacceptable’ situation where patients in need of serious help are being kept in prison. It follows the airing of the first part of RTÉ’s investigation into Ireland’s psychiatric care sector.
The documentary featured the story of Andrew Gearns, a dad of two who took his own life in Cork Prison after struggling with an addiction to heroin. Andrew’s family say he was failed by the criminal justice system, which they believe could not – and did not – offer him the help he desperately needed.
Andrew’s family spoke up for him at the inquest into his death when it was heard in Cork in 2023, and last night they bravely spoke out about their son’s story. They were joined by other families from across the country who told their own heartbreaking stories about the failures of Ireland’s mental health system.
This morning, Cork TD Pádraig Rice is calling on the Government to address the issues highlighted in the documentary by providing more resources to our mental health services. The Social Democrat TD is demanding that more staff be hired at mental health institutions and that more beds be made available so vulnerable patients don’t need to spend time in prison while they await treatment.
He said: “I visited Cork Prison at the end of October and was very concerned about its conditions, especially for vulnerable prisoners experiencing severe mental health difficulties. The prison’s governor and staff members made it clear to me that it wasn’t the right place for those who were severely unwell – these cases require a hospital setting, not a prison.
“It’s unacceptable that psychiatric patients are being handled this way – it’s dangerous for both the patients themselves and the prison’s staff.
“People with severe mental health difficulties need to be in an appropriate facility with specialist services and supports – an overcrowded prison is not that place, and is likely to worsen their condition.”
Figures obtained by Deputy Rice at the end of January show that there are currently 38 people being housed in prison while they wait for a bed in the Central Mental Hospital in Portrane, a figure he described as ‘record high.’
Of the 38 people, 27 have been waiting for more than three months, while seven have been detained for more than a year. It now takes an average of seven months to transfer a patient from prison to a psychiatric hospital.
The Cork South-Central TD pointed towards the commitments made by the Government in the 2025 HSE National Service Plan, which included providing 18 additional beds at the Central Mental Hospital. However, only two new beds have been opened, and when Deputy Rice inquired about space at the hospital, he was told there were 28 vacancies.
Deputy Rice continued: “People with mental health difficulties need to be diverted away from the prison system and into mental health services, where appropriate, but the system needs to be resourced to facilitate that.
“I’m also very concerned about the general health of the prison population and the spread of infectious diseases due to chronic overcrowding.
“The government must take immediate action, which is rights- and evidence-based – we need appropriate diversion measures, urgent delivery of additional beds in the Central Mental Hospital, vacancies filled and additional multidisciplinary services to support prisons and the courts.”
Deputy Rice’s comments come as the second part of the RTÉ documentary is set to air tonight, which will tell the story of how a Tipperary man who suffered a traumatic brain injury ended up locked in solitary confinement as he waited for appropriate treatment.
Stephen Loughnane was only 16 years old when he suffered a brain injury in a car crash in Roscrea. The driver was killed when the car collided with a wall near Roscrea, and Stephen was left with devastating injuries and permanent brain damage. He suffers symptoms including psychosis, hallucinations and violent outbursts.
Stephen has been detained at the Central Mental Hospital in Portrane for nearly five years. Recently, he spent over two years continually locked in seclusion, as there have been no residential settings suitable to accommodate him and his challenging condition. Only in recent months was he moved to a bigger isolation unit at the hospital on a temporary basis after spending years on his own in a small, empty room.
His mother, Jacinta, told RTÉ that it has been “heartbreaking” for her to see her son kept in isolation for such a long period of time.
She said: “No one deserves to be locked in a room like that. It’s like going to visit Hannibal Lecter in the movie The Silence of the Lambs. Him behind a screen with the glass and talking through a speaker. You know, that’s the only way I can describe it. And absolutely nothing in the room.”
“It plays on my mind then thinking about him, all the minutes of every day, walking around in that room with nothing only the four walls to look at. And it’s coming up to nearly five years he’s there now, 24 hours of the day, every day for last five years nearly,” she said, “It’s heartbreaking, absolutely heartbreaking to think of him like it. Being left there like that. Absolutely dreadful.”
Part Two of RTÉ Investigates: The Psychiatric Care Scandal tonight at 9:35pm on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player.