Mr. Aaron O'Connell:

To be honest, no. Much of the work we do, particularly in respect of Cork, has been with Limerick and Cork prisons. Therefore, it is a different dimension, which is why we are saying these initiatives need to shift down the country also. If there are good initiatives somewhere in the country, we should be learning from them and adapting them locally if we can. It is a good idea to give people the option to have a drug-free area. It can be a really positive step for the individual. If it can be matched with other supporters to upskill people and keep them busy, proactive and positive in respect of what they are interested in doing, there is a really good chance that they will continue with the activity upon release. That is really important. Some people go into the prisons and pick up bad habits. It is important to create opportunities to militate against that type of situation. There are enough people with bad habits already. Anything we can do to minimise exposure to their activity would be good.

There are not enough services, including in respect of emergency accommodation, for those who come out of prison. We need to start looking differently at the question of accommodation for those who exit prison. We need to normalise the housing on offer to people. We should normalise emergency accommodation and accommodation in prisons to the greatest extent possible because we need to build on people's strengths and the skills they possess. If we can do that within the prisons, we will have a better chance on prisoners' release of ensuring that their behaviours and attitudes will be more normal than is usual in institutional settings, which, by their very nature, are abnormal.