Labhrás Ó Murchú (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I support the comments made on St. Patrick's Institution. Wherever young offenders are held - I do not intend to cast aspersions on prison staff in St. Patrick's Institutions - there may have been a lack of training and people may not have known how to deal with young offenders. Perhaps it is a knee-jerk reaction that the young people concerned got what they deserved because they may have inflicted pain on people on the outside. We must bear in mind that, by and large, prisoners are the most damaged in our society. Very often they had no opportunities where they lived and did not receive a proper education. If we inflict inhumane punishment on them, all we are doing is continuing a vicious cycle. When prisoners return to their communities, it will simply be a question of their getting their own back on people all over again. I am glad that the topic of prisons was raised in the Chamber because politicians have shied away from it because there are no votes to be gained. We must adopt a humane approach to the young people concerned. I am glad the report has been published and we should avail of the opportunity to debate it as such a debate would prove helpful.