Prisoners should have the right to conjugal visits, the governor of Dublin’s Wheatfield Prison has suggested. Colm Bartley, speaking on Newstalk radio, said that conjugal rights should be considered, as they exist in other countries.
“Sex is a natural thing so people will try and engage in sex in whatever environment they are in. So why not facilitate that in a structured manner?” Mr Bartley said, adding that allowing conjugal visits should be considered ‘down the line’.
Conjugal visitation is common in other countries, such as the United States but it has no basis in the Irish system. Many prisoners do not have partners, so they would not avail of conjugal rights. There is no government policy regarding prisoners’ sexual rights at the moment.