Thomas Gould (Cork North-Central, Sinn Fein)

The governor outlined the number of people who are in prison but should not be. They are in prison because they have mental health issues. I know people who have gone to prison or who are in the courts at the moment. Their families or friends have contacted me. Those people should not be going through the court system because their issues are mental health issues. During the course of their mental health episodes or crises, they broke laws. They should be dealt with from a mental health perspective. Do the witnesses ever have any involvement in that kind of advocacy? Governors of prisons are telling us there are people in prisons who should not be there.