Story of Portlaoise hospital patient who died in prison custody to feature in RTÉ investigation into psychiatric care

An Offaly man's experience of being brought to Cloverhill Prison rather than to Portlaoise hospital, where he had previously been treated, is featured in an RTÉ Investigates special on psychiatric care in Ireland’s prisons.

RTÉ reports that Ivan Rosney, who experienced mental illness from an early age, missed his daily medication in late September 2020. Gardaí were called to an argument at his father’s house.

RTÉ report that for unexplained reasons, Mr Rosney was taken to Cloverhill Prison instead of the Midland Regional Hospital Portlaoise, where he was an inpatient many times. Held in custody for some days, he was to appear before a District Court on by video link.

However, the programme claims that the man, aged 36, died after he was taken from his cell while being restrained by several prison officers. It also reveals that an Inspector of Prisons investigation report was completed in October 2024 but has not been published.

His daughter Courtney told RTÉ Investigates she wants to know what happened.

“It's a very big thing to be fighting at 23 years of age...So it's a young woman fighting against all these big (institutions) - the prison services, the HSE, the gardaí . . . and they'll kind of just look at me as if you're wasting your time.

“We've suffered long enough, it's been five years, it's been long enough not to know what's happened,” she said.

RTÉ says the programme has found the options available to the already overwhelmed prison system, which has been linked to “life-threatening conditions”, has deteriorated rapidly in recent weeks.

The programme claims that this followed a Constitutional challenge, and a Judicial Review just before Christmas of the practice of Therapeutic Bail and prompted the suspension of the procedure altogether. Therapeutic Bail had become the primary workaround to allow prisoners remanded for minor crimes while suffering from major mental illness to be diverted to an approved hospital for treatment.

In the six weeks since the hearing, the waiting list for the country’s only designated secure hospital has risen to a record high.

Figures released to RTÉ Investigates show the rate of prisoners with acute mental illness in custody has increased dramatically in recent years. In the country’s dedicated remand centre, Cloverhill Prison, there is a medical landing with capacity for 27 people, but in recent months, there have been in excess of 55 actively psychotic people held in custody simultaneously.

RTÉ One documentary will outline the detention conditions for people who have been charged with relatively minor crimes but are held in prison for mental health reasons.

The in-reach psychiatric team in Cloverhill Prison is led by Professor Conor O’Neill.

“Some of the most severe mental illnesses are conditions like schizophrenia and related conditions like disaffected disorder and bipolar disorder. These are some of the worst mental health conditions you can have where people can hear and see things that aren’t real. It’s usually voices saying abusive or threatening things. Some of these people are very severely mentally ill. MORE BELOW PHOTO.

Pictured: Professor Conor O’Neill leads the in-reach psychiatric team in Cloverhill Prison.

"Some people have brain injuries and dementias and are unable to look after themselves. These are people that should be in hospital, not in prison,” he said.

RTÉ said the HSE has told it that remains committed to ensuring that every person receives the right care in the right place at the right time.  However, the HSE acknowledged  to RTÉ that: “The issues that have been raised in relation to HSE mental health services and regret any impact this may have had on people and their families”.

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In Tuesday night’s programme, RTÉ Investigates questions whether the establishment of a brand new Central Mental Hospital in Portrane in north Dublin has delivered the change that was promised in the face of growing waiting lists, the increase in issues of a “high risk” and “critical risk” inside the centre, and ongoing concerns about the community services people are being discharged to.

Watch RTÉ Investigates: The Psychiatric Care Scandal this Monday, February 9 and Tuesday, February  10, 9.35 pm on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player.