Prisons' Drugs Problem Under Spotlight

Prison authorities in Northern Ireland have come under pressure to deal with the problem of drugs behind bars.

The Prisoner Ombudsman, Pauline McCabe, will tomorrow publish a report into the death of 21-year-old Aaron Hogg, who hanged himself in his cell last year after taking six kinds of illegal drugs.

The report says Mr Hogg's suicide might have been avoided if there had been tighter controls on drugs in the prison.

He had been given a month’s supply of anti-psychotic medication by prison staff, but had swapped many of his tablets for other drugs.

In a phone call shortly before his death, he claimed it was easier to get drugs inside Maghaberry than on the streets outside.

And the independent consultant forensic psychiatrist Dr Keith Rix said it was "probable that drug effects made a material contribution to Mr Hogg's state of mind on the night of his death".

Mr Hogg suffered from a psychopathic disorder and had been admitted to hospital for psychiatric treatment.

Mr Hogg's "distraught" family said they believed his death was "totally avoidable".

Their solicitor Matt Higgins said he had asked a judge not to send a previous client to prison because the drugs available meant he might get addicted to heroin again.

Mr Higgins said: "That is wrong. That should not happen. The prison service and health trust appear to suggest that they cannot stop drugs coming into prison, that they just have to accept it, and that’s just not good enough."

(NE/GK)