Michael McDowell (Independent) | Oireachtas source

The prison needs to be replaced. Playing fields, running tracks and things like that need to be provided for people who are genuinely in need of rehabilitation as well as proper facilities. Rehabilitation is not going to happen in Mounjoy Prison so we must cop on and accept that the institution must be replaced.

We must bear in mind that we have a growing population, which has moved towards 5.5 million and that the prison system served a population of 2.9 million when I was born. We cannot pretend that the current number of prison spaces is adequate bearing in mind the number of life prisoners and serious sentences for sexual offences and all of the rest that are being handed down by the courts. I do not want a situation where a revolving door starts again for people with significant sentences.

I reiterate that I agree with Ms Brady regarding short sentences. At one stage I wanted every district judge who was about to impose a short sentence to write out in his or her own handwriting why no other way of dealing with the prisoner was being contemplated. I am with Ms Brady on rebalancing the matter in favour of non-incarceration but we still need proper modern prisons.