Seanad debates
Wednesday, 8 October 2003
Criminal Justice (Temporary Release of Prisoners) Bill 2001: Second Stage.
Will the Minister of State say if statistics relating to re-offending have improved? We have had different levels of discussion in the past on how often prisoners re-offend. Has the situation improved? The type of crime being committed nowadays is more callous and vicious than ever before. This is blamed on the availability of drugs and the amounts of alcohol being consumed. If we in this House, as a result of legislation introduced, do nothing else in terms of justice, equality and law reform than to allow people to sleep easier in their beds or go out at night without fear of being mugged, then we will have done a good job. We have, during the last year, dealt with legislation on public order, illicit trafficking at sea and drug barons on land. All those issues are related and I am hopeful that during the next couple of years we will see a considerable improvement in our quality of life. I will be disappointed if that does not happen as a result of the various legislation we have introduced.
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