Mr. Michael Donnellan:

Furthermore, prison in the 1950s was tiny. Prisons held 370 people. Today, 3,700 are held in prisons. There is therefore no doubt but that there has been a displacement of essentially poor people - not just economically poor, as Mr. Black has said, but poor in every way. There is an opportunity in Ireland to have a reasoned debate as to what the quality of prison should be and what contribution should be made in that regard. Prison is important for violent people and people who commit very serious offences. Prison is important and it will always be there but we must look beyond prison, as 99.9% of people in prison will come out into their home communities. We must make sure we get ready for that.