Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)

They cannot be in prison unless we expand prison capacity. Our population has grown. I believe in alternatives to prison but there are some people who need to be behind bars. This House has passed laws to extend prison sentences but has not put in place the prison capacity to support those extensions. I have been Minister for justice. No Minister for justice wants to receive reports notifying him or her that people are being released from prison because there is not enough prison capacity. We need to fix this. The location of prisons is a matter for the Prison Service. The Minister, Deputy O'Callaghan, has my full support in expediting the delivery of prison capacity and prison spaces. We need a new prison as well, by the way, to keep up with our population.

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