Charles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 95: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the steps he will take to deal with the high level of repeat offending within the criminal justice system; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22612/07]

Brian Lenihan Jnr (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

I assure the Deputy that I attach the highest importance to addressing and reducing the rate of repeat offending and recidivism.

My Department commissioned the first major study of prisoner re-offending from the UCD Institute of Criminology, the results of which were published in December 2006. The study found that 27.4% of released prisoners were serving a new prison sentence within one year. This rose to 39.2% after two years, 45.1% after three years, and 49.2% after four years. Recidivism was highest among property offenders and lowest for sex offenders.

These findings are in line with international experience. I understand they may be considered to fall in the mid to lower range of recidivism by international standards. While these figures are high, they still show that just over half of prisoners do not re-offend within four years of release, which compares well by international standards.

In order to reduce the rates of re-offending, it is vital that offenders, or those who come in contact with the law, are targeted at as early an age as possible. Significant progress has been made in recent years in creating a more effective youth justice system, based on principles which are set out in the Children Act 2001, as amended. The office of the Minister of State with responsibility for children has brought greater coherence to children's policy across Departments. The Irish Youth Justice Service, an executive office within my Department which is co-located in the office of the Minister of State with responsibility for children, has responsibility for developing youth justice policy and operating the children detention schools. The youth justice service is working to bring about a more effective youth justice system in which there is strong public confidence.

All the provisions of the Children Act 2001 have now been commenced and the implementation of new community sanctions, which offer the courts a number of ways of dealing with offenders in a non-custodial setting, are being rolled out throughout the country.

Additional information not given on the floor of the House.

The Government has allocated additional judges for the Children Court and it recently approved a juvenile justice and child protection package which provides 88 additional posts for the probation service. The Garda Commissioner has agreed to appoint 28 additional juvenile liaison officers over the next four years.

The new programme for Government contains commitments to double the number of Garda youth diversion projects to 168, to invest in the provision of appropriate detention facilities for youth offenders and to fund the implementation of a range of new community sanctions, including sanctions against the parents of offending youths which came into force last March as an alternative to detention. I recently approved the establishment of an additional 12 new projects, bringing the current total to 93 projects.

I wish to assure the House that the measures provided for under the programme for Government to deal with re-offenders, such as the expansion of the Drug Court programme, the introduction of a community payback scheme, investment in the rehabilitation of prisoners and the provision of Garda powers and resources, will be implemented.

I have dealt in my reply with some of the issues which arise directly in the area of the prevention of re-offending to which the Deputy's question refers. There is also a wide range of measures in place, many of which were discussed in the House last week, to tackle the issue of crime generally, be it committed by repeat offenders or others.

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Go raibh maith agat, a Aire. I call Deputy Flanagan.

Charles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

I am not sure how much of the Minister's reply remains unannounced and will be stitched into the Official Report but I regret that his answer so far gave absolutely nothing in terms of a positive response as to what plan the Government might have to deal with this issue.

I refer to the stark statistics quoted by the Minister. Within four years of release, more than half of these offenders are back in jail. These are not the violent criminal gangsters to which we referred earlier but people who are unemployed and petty criminals for the most part who are being failed by the system. The reason the system fails them is because there is no rehabilitative programme in prisons. The workshops are being closed, educational facilities are being withdrawn, the rate of literacy among prisoners is running at 65% to 70% and nobody is doing anything about it.

I ask the Minister to announce to the House a plan or a policy his Government might have to deal with the question of habitual offending which is contributing to an unacceptable revolving door system within prisons.

Brian Lenihan Jnr (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

There is no revolving door system in our prisons. People serve their sentences as prescribed by law.

Charles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

They get out and then go back in.

Brian Lenihan Jnr (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

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.

Charles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

A total of 87% of those jailed for defaulting on fines are back in jail within a four-year period. This is indicative that the system is failing. Will the Minister set about putting in place a national support system for prisoners on their release, to assist integration in the community and to reduce the stark but real statistic on those who return to jail within a four-year period?

Brian Lenihan Jnr (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

I will examine the option proposed by the Deputy.