The Irish Person Service has announced a review of its security procedures after allegations that a female solicitor was told she had to remove her bra before entering the prison.
This will include a review of “policies, procedures and training for staff” to ensure people are treated in “a proper, fair and impartial manner, while at all times remaining courteous and sensitive”.
The statement added that it was not prison policy to require visits to remove undergarments, according to The Irish Times.
The governing body for the solicitors' profession said it has raised concerns about security protocols in prisons that affect female lawyers.
On Monday, the Irish Examiner reported a female solicitor was instructed by prison officers to remove her bra if she wanted access to her client as it was setting off a security sensor.
In a formal complaint to the Irish Prison Service (IPS), the solicitor said she had been “subject to a degrading incident” at Cloverhill Prison in Dublin on June 11th, 2020.
“Not only did I feel extremely vulnerable and targeted as a woman, I felt humiliated that my dignity had been so casually torn from me,” she said in the complaint reported by the Irish Examiner.
The visit concerned urgent bail proceedings so she had “no option other than to comply with their condition on my entry”.
In a statement on Tuesday, the IPS said revised security screening protocols were introduced for visitors at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.
This meant pat-down searches could not be carried out between March 15th and June 30th, 2020 due to Covid risks.
“Persons activating the walk-through metal detector during this time period were given the opportunity to reschedule their visit. At all times during this unprecedented health crisis the health and safety of our prisoners, staff and visitors have been of the utmost importance.”
The previous screening protocol was resumed on June 20th, 2020.
“The objective of security screening at point of entry is to deter and prevent the entry of contraband into prisons.”
Walk-through and hand-held metal detectors, narcotic swabbing, X-rays of outer clothing and drug-sniffer dogs are all part of security screening.
Visitors are given three chances to walk through the metal detector before the use of a handheld device.
Pat-downs are only used when staff still cannot find the item setting off the alarm.
It said it is not IPS policy “to request any person to remove under garments in order to gain admittance to a prison” and that it does not condone behaviour which “may put at risk the rights of people to be treated with dignity and respect”.
It said allegations of inappropriate behaviour by staff are taken very seriously. Any visitor can make a written complaint.
