Brian Lenihan Jnr (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)

The last time there was a revolving door system, the Deputy's party was in Government. That is a fact.

A great deal is being done about these matters in the prisons. It is not correct to state that the vast majority of our prisoners are petty criminals. People are committed to prison for the commission of many different types of offence. Our record of committing individuals to prison is in the middle range by international standards. It is not as high per head of population as in the United Kingdom and is very low when compared with the United States. People are incarcerated under our system after careful consideration by the courts.

With regard to what is being done, there is a wide range of services in place within the prison custodial system aimed at providing offenders with the means to avoid re-offending following their return to the community. These include work skills training and education, which are matched to individual aptitudes and abilities. A range of medical, psychological and other support services is available. They include: individual and group counselling on offending issues; programmes in the areas of education, vocational training and life skills; drug treatments; specific programmes addressing the factors causing crime; one-to-one counselling and support; and facilitating the involvement of voluntary organisations in appropriate prisoner support services. These programmes are delivered by a wide range of specialist services that operate in the prisons, such as psychologists, teachers, probation officers and prison officers. Education is provided in partnership with a range of educational agencies, including the VECs, the public library services, colleges and the Arts Council.

In 2005, over 50% of the prisoner population participated in educational activities and half of these did so for more than ten hours per week. That is a high participation rate by international standards. There is a particular focus on basic literacy and numeracy education. A work and training programme operates in each prison. As well as organising necessary services such as catering and laundry, it provides work and training opportunities for prisoners while ensuring a high quality of service delivery within the prison. Work and training provide structured vocational training so people in custody can acquire the skills they might require to obtain employment after their release.

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