The Prison Service is being blamed for the growth of criminal gangs in jails.

The report from the Inspector of Prisons says there is no clear strategy for dealing with a gangland culture and says some staff are even turning a blind eye to the activities of such gangs.

It says the victims of gang violence are routinely transferred to other jails, rather than the Prison Service dealing with the perpetrators.

Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald said yesterday she is concerned by the findings.

And she wants to hear more from the Prison Service

Jim Mitchell is the deputy general-secretary of the Prison Officers Association.

He told Newstalk Breakfast they are not happy with the report - and it does not reflect their working environment.

The former governor of Mountjoy Prison says he thinks the Inspector of Prisons should reconsider elements of the report, which stated that some prison staff turn a blind eye to gang activity within jails.

Judge Michael Reilly said it was often the victims of this violence that were moved to other prisons - rather than the perpetrators.

John Lonergan says the prison service is overcrowded and overstretched, and he says Judge Reilly is being disingenuous when he paints all prison staff with the same brush.