Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)

We all agree that the maximum possible needs to be done to ensure that those who are in prison for committing offences do not reoffend. There will always be a significant segment of individuals who, no matter what services are available in the prison system, will still reoffend. That is the lesson in every country in the world, no matter what type of sentencing regime they have. However, the objective of prison must be to ensure that facilities are available to reduce the level of reoffending.

The opening of these facilities should reduce the level of overcrowding within the Dóchas centre and I hope it will ameliorate the necessity for additional prisoners to be held in a prison cell which may have been originally designed for one individual.

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