Colm Burke (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Many Senators have spoken about the report compiled by Judge Michael Reilly on St. Patrick's Institution. It is time for us to examine the structure of prisons and what they provide. In 1996 I was involved in a project in Cork where 20 prisoners undertook an education programme. The approach resulted in 12 of them returning to full-time education after they had left prison. There has been no innovative change in how we deal with people who have been involved in crime once they enter prison. We have provided for the same mechanisms that have changed very little in the past 20 years. Now that we have this report it is time to examine what occurred in St. Patrick's Institution and find a way forward. We must adopt a different approach for the next 25 to 30 years. Now is the time to have such a debate.