Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)

-----although it is a good idea when one is walking to know whether one is walking to the left or right. I am taken by people who are hung up on old-fashioned political caricatures and ideologies. From my perspective, I always regarded Sinn Féin as significantly to the right in the context of some of the activities in which it engaged. In the context of some of the political stances it still takes to this day I regard it as significantly to the right of politics in an international sense as well as in a domestic sense. In the context of dealing with issues of this nature, what we need is to have a coherent and consistent approach to sentencing policy to deal with those who are convicted offenders and to approach matters on the basis of looking at all the various options available in the interests of the community, reducing the level of recidivism, and ensuring in so far as anyone can that those who leave prison have perhaps some opportunity of leading a life that does not involve re-offending. It is my intention as we develop our criminal justice system that we take very substantial steps along this route.

I was interested in Senator Mullins's reference to the project in Glasgow. I have the view that we need to look at various types of community service and how we might facilitate people who have left prison getting employment experience as opposed to simply engaging in environmental works, and it could be interesting to give some consideration to the type of projects taking place in Glasgow. It is a very interesting suggestion.

I take what Senator Colm Burke said extremely seriously. One of the defects at present in our prison system is that because of the overcrowding and limited facilities we still do not provide sufficient education opportunities for people in our prisons, many of whom come from deprived communities and have limited education and basic literacy difficulties. If they are going to have a real opportunity in life, these are issues we need to address. As one Senator mentioned, although he was not supporting it, it is not about locking people up for a period, throwing away the key and then releasing them and expecting their world to change. One of the difficulties is when those sentenced to terms of imprisonment have lived in deprived communities, or in communities, for example, where crime right be rife or there might be gangs, are released, they all too frequently find themselves back in the same environment and have little chance of getting away from a life of reoffending and imprisonment. These are all issues to which we need to give careful consideration in the public interest and in the context of how we do things differently.

I do not want to make exaggerated claims regarding this short Bill which I hope is a smart Bill. I also hope, when enacted, it will be applied by the Judiciary in a manner that ensures if we review matters in a year, there will have been a substantial increase in the use of community service orders and those sentenced to imprisonment deserve to serve such terms. There is not an awful lot to be gained by sentencing people to three or four weeks in prison and much more would be gained by sentencing such individuals to community service to the benefit of the community.

I thank Members for their contributions and for their support for the Bill. Members of both Houses had constructive suggestions to make and I am optimistic about the changes we can make to the manner in which we deal with offenders on a basis that will receive support from all sides of both Houses and which will allow us, hopefully, to look back in two or three years and say real change and a real change has been effected in the manner in which we deal with criminal justice issues.