Maureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent)

I will share time with Deputies Wallace, Pringle and Catherine Murphy.

Central to the matter of spent convictions is the philosophy which believes in our capacity to change and that, having made a mistake, committed a crime and done wrong once or perhaps several times, we are capable of reform, learning from our mistakes and getting our lives back on track. Ireland does not have legislation providing for expungement of minor criminal convictions. Every other country in the European Union has such second chance legislation and its existence has not resulted in chaos in the countries in question. What Ireland has is a revolving door with the same people from predominately the same areas going in and out of prison like clockwork. For this reason, we need more incentives to discourage people from pursuing a life of crime and experiencing the revolving door to prison.

A criminal record is a barrier to employment, education, training, travel and insurance and banking services. The current position means the punishment lasts a lifetime. The Irish Penal Reform Trust believes the absence of legislation of this nature is "a recipe for reoffending and for people being trapped in a cycle of poverty and exclusion for the rest of their lives". We do not want to leave those who offend thinking there is no point in trying to change. We give prisoners the right to vote, but we do not give them enough chances to get themselves back into the community where they can play a meaningful role.

I wish to look at the issue of people with drug convictions. Many families and communities have been affected by drugs, with some being convicted of possessing drugs. They are trying to get their lives back on track, but a conviction casts a long shadow even though it could date from a time when they were younger. Nonetheless, they have paid the penalty, gone through supported training and adult education, and may have families. They are trying to play a part in family life while giving something back to the community where they may earlier have caused havoc. In addition, they often try to be an inspiration to others.

The north inner city has many programmes offering rehabilitation, personal development, further education and training. There are incredible success stories involving individuals who are now reaching their potential and making great progress. However, they will be blocked from further advancement by the lack of such legislation and therefore I am asking that they should get a second chance. The private sector has been active with a mentoring system in business, so we need the public sector to take that on also. We basically want to keep people out of prison and this is one way of doing so.

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