Ms Eileen O'Brien:

The whole area needs to be looked at with discernment. Many of our lads would be in and out of prison. They would often be caught with stuff for their own use and they might be just at the point of moving on when the charge comes up and they are back in court and back inside and it seems that cycle can continue for quite a while. If we were to look at the Portuguese model and apply it here, it would have a positive impact, especially on the young men who have decided to look at themselves and their relationship with substances and have begun turning the corner and heading towards recovery rather than staying involved in that addiction loop. At times, they are just out of treatment or have just completed a day programme and they are put back into prison. It can often set them back for another year or more. Sometimes the sentence needs to stand, but there might be some discernment in order that when they go into prison, they may have the option of being in a drug-free unit or a setting where their recovery could be supported in a more holistic way. Unfortunately, some of the prisons cannot offer that option but it is worth exploring. Much of the time, it is treatment these lads need rather than another sentence, or at least a facility where they are in a space where they can reflect and assess themselves rather than just being given the custodial sentence.