Drug Treatment Services
The Irish Prison Service offers multidimensional drug rehabilitation programmes for prisoners. Prisoners have access to a range of medical and rehabilitative services, such as methadone substation treatment, psycho social services, and ‘work and training’ options which assist in addressing their substance misuse.
Any person entering prison giving a history of opiate use and testing positive for opioids is offered a medically assisted symptomatic detoxification, if clinically indicated. Patients can discuss other treatment options with healthcare staff. These may include stabilisation on methadone maintenance for persons who wish to continue on maintenance while in prison and when they return to the community on release. Prisoners who, on committal to prison, are engaged in a methadone substitution programme in the community will, in the main, have their methadone substitution treatment continued while in prison.
Methadone substitution treatment is available in 11 of the 14 prisons (accommodating over 80% of the prison population).
The Irish Prison Service engages Merchants Quay Ireland (MQI) to provide a prison-based addiction counselling service across the entire IPS estate (with the exception of Arbour Hill Prison and the Training Unit where the clinical need is currently under review).
The MQI service provides a range of counselling interventions related to substance misuse and dependency. This includes motivational interviewing and enhancement therapy, a twelve step facilitation programme, cognitive behavioural therapy and harm reduction approaches and people in custody are offered one to one counselling and group work interventions.
Those in prison are more likely to have had a challenging lifestyle that predisposes them to substance misuse as a coping strategy. Research indicates a prevalence rate of over 70% with an unknown (but) high rate of dual diagnosis.
TARP (Formerly the Drug Treatment Programme)
Following extensive consultation, relaunched the Drug Treatment Programme in March 2023 as the ‘Treatment and Rehabilitation Programme’ (TARP). The updated name reflects the updated focus of the course on supporting prisoners to maintain their recovery journey and improve their health, wellbeing and quality of both within the prison setting and post release.
The revised programme is contemporaneous and in line with the goals of the National Drugs Strategy Reducing Harm, Supporting Recovery 2017-2025, by way of the provision of treatment, rehabilitation, recovery, education, information and support. The programme aims to offer participants an insight into substance use, relapse and recovery and promote self-worth and self-confidence.
The TARP programme currently runs from the Medical Unit in Mountjoy in an 8 week block with nine participants in each block. The programme includes inputs from a range of disciplines and covers a wide range of topics from professionals across a number of disciplines and includes both therapeutic and practical workshops to aid recovery.
MQI and the IPS are currently preparing the terms of reference of a detailed evaluation of the first 12 months of the TARP programme. Other services available include Slow Detox and Stabilisation and Relapse Programmes.
A consultant-led in-reach addiction service is provided in West Dublin Complex (Cloverhill and Wheatfield). In addition an addiction specialist GP service is provided in a number of other Prisons.
The IPS continues to seek to construct a range of programmes, support services and through-care options for prisoners demonstrating a commitment to addressing their substance misuse. In line with Reducing Harm Supporting Recovery, the National Drug Strategy, IPS has an agreed protocol with the HSE for the seamless transition of prisoners established on drug treatment into community drug treatment settings.
Click here to view the Irish Prison Service Drugs Strategy 2023 – 2026
