Jack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

What I was specifically referring to was the establishment of a pilot of a therapeutic community in a prison - in fact, in a wing of a prison where it would be run like a therapeutic community and run by prisoners. That model works really well in the UK and in other countries. There is a fantastic outcome for prisoners, for the general population and for communities but we are not doing that. We are funding siloed educational or health interventions, but we are not looking at the issue in a holistic way. It is not about funding some of the aftercare packages in Coolmine or in other institutions. Services, such as Coolmine Therapeutic Community, have been contacting the Department of Justice and Equality on a regular basis to look for a policy decision on the establishment of a therapeutic community in the prison system. The Minister should engage with the Irish Prison Service to try to do it because it will be a positive legacy for the Minister to have been the Minister to do this. I think we will see it rolled out across the board and I ask the Minister to look at this specific matter.