Gary Gannon (Dublin Central, Social Democrats)
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Do not get me wrong; I do not think it is working. Even if the Minister gets Thornton Hall and brings in the other 1,500 places, our recidivism rate in this country will be 62.4%. That means that 62.4% of people who come out of prison will reoffend within three years. Senator Lynn Ruane a couple weeks ago raised the point that if we had a hospital where nearly seven out of ten people who go into it return in a couple months, we would start to wonder what the purpose of it was. We have a prison system that does not seem to be good for punishing or deterrence nor does it seem to be particularly effective at rehabilitation. Having increased prison spaces probably will not solve that issue, will it? In the Minister’s mind, what are prisons for?