Jim O'Keeffe (Cork South West, Fine Gael)

A couple of issues arise in respect of the privatisation of certain prison services. The Tánaiste and Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform has made much of his confrontation with the Prison Officers Association and clapped himself on the back for achieving great savings. I wonder would his claims stand up to further scrutiny. I understand the average cost of keeping somebody in prison is approximately €90,000 per year, or €250 per night. Somebody said we could put prisoners up in Ashford Castle for that amount of money and they would not want to leave it to return to a life of crime. International comparisons of costs are quite frightening. The average cost per prisoner per year in the United States of America is approximately €33,000.

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