The Law Society is calling for an urgent meeting with the prison authorities to raise ’serious human rights concerns’ about the treatment of inmates while the jail is in lockdown.

And the concerns have been echoed by Amnesty International in the island.

A spokesman for the Law Society said: ’A number of serious concerns have been raised by our members in relation to the treatment of those entering Jurby prison during the current Covid-19 crisis.

’The Law Society is raising these issues with the Department of Home Affairs and the prison governor Bob McColm (pictured right) and is calling for an urgent meeting so that they can be resolved.

’Whilst it is accepted that the current emergency warrants action to ensure the protection of the Manx people this should not be at the expense of their fundamental human rights.’

Concerns about treatment of prisoners held in quarantine in the isolation wing at Jurby jail were first highlighted by island advocate Ian Kermode.

The prison has gone into lockdown to prevent the risk of Covid spreading among inmates and staff.

As part of this, all new arrivals at the prison are held in self-confinement in cells on B-wing for 14 days.

But Mr Kermode claims they have been denied access to showers, exercise and telephone calls - claims denied by the prison authorities.

Amnesty International IoM Group has called for an inquiry into both the treatment of inmates and the sentencing policy of the courts during the coronavirus crisis.

The group’s Phil Matthews say there were serious accusations from a Manx advocate, and although they were instantly dismissed with a total denial by the prison authorities, it would be ’almost inconceivable’ if they were all found to be false.

He hoped the Independent Monitoring Board will be able to contribute to any future inquiry. Mr Matthews said emergency powers legislation seem to have been interpreted by the Manx judiciary with an ’unusually harsh, some would say draconian, suspension of the normal legal process’.

He said during the first three weeks of the Covid crisis, the High Bailiff and Deputy High Bailiff were issuing custodial sentences to all those who were brought before the courts without any provision for bail nor any reference to social or mental health reports.

Mr Matthews said: ’Some of the cases mentioned alcoholism and/or homelessness and we believe no social or psychiatric reports were requested which may have contained vital information.

He said that strategy had changed as lockdown restrictions began to be eased.

In the last week, some court cases are now resulting in suspended sentences or release on bail.

Police also now have powers to issued fixed penalty notices.

Mr Matthews said: ’Of course, everyone is concerned that we must do everything to ensure the speedy containment of coronavirus and we understand that special measures are required.

’However, emergency powers need to be applied with all the protections that are applicable to western democracies.

’Whatever the outcome of any inquiry or report into this extreme strategy that was adopted, it will still be seen as a particularly draconian decision to ignore all the non-custodial options at the same time as suspending normal legal procedures.’