Jim O'Keeffe (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
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Question 483: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the number of prisons here that have rehabilitation services available to prisoners in the prisons themselves; the nature of those services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18407/07]

Jim O'Keeffe (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
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Question 484: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the number of prisons here that have vocational training or educational services available to prisoners in the prisons themselves; the nature of those services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18408/07]

Jim O'Keeffe (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
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Question 485: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the number of prisoners here who are currently availing of rehabilitation, education or training services within prisons themselves; the nature of those services; the number of prisoners so availing as a proportion of new admissions and of the total prison population; the number and proportion of prisoners who complete such courses; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18409/07]

Brian Lenihan Jnr (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 483 to 485, inclusive, together.

The Irish Prison Service is committed to helping prisoners to develop their sense of responsibility and to encourage the attitudes and skills which will assist them to return to society with the best chance of leading law abiding and self-supporting lives after release. Prisoner rehabilitation involves significant multidimensional input by a diverse range of general and specialist services provided both by the Irish Prison Service and other statutory and non-statutory services. Among these are healthcare, psychiatric, psychological, educational, vocational, counselling, welfare and spiritual services. These services are important in addressing offending behaviour, drug and alcohol addiction, missed educational and vocational opportunities, anger management and self management in the interest of encouraging positive personal development in prisoners and preparing them for re-integration and resettlement on release from custody.

Details of the major services available in prisons are set out as follows.

Education — Education in prisons is provided in partnership with a range of educational agencies in the community including the VECs, Public Library Services, Colleges and the Arts Council. Broad programmes of education are made available which generally follow an adult education approach. In 2006, 220 whole-time-equivalent VEC teachers were the main providers of these education programmes.

Work Training — The Work Training programme operates at each prison. As well as organising necessary services such as catering and laundry, it also provides work and training opportunities for prisoners whilst ensuring a high quality of service delivery within the prison. Work Training provides structured pre-vocational and vocational training so that persons in custody can acquire the skills that may help them to obtain employment after their release. The Programme for Organisational Change provided for a significant expansion and development of vocational training programmes. This is being facilitated by an increased budgetary allocation and by an increase of almost 100 in the prison grade staff involved in work and training activities.

Probation Service — This Service has an active role during the course of the prisoner's sentence in helping maintain links with family and community agencies, encouraging prisoners to address their offending behaviour and engaging prisoners in individual counselling and group counselling programmes such as offending behaviour, addiction, violence and sex offending. The Service also provides supervision in certain cases under temporary release provisions.

Chaplaincy Service — Prison Chaplains promote the spiritual and pastoral welfare of prisoners and also participate with other services in the secular care of prisoners. The work of the Chaplaincy Service involves extensive contact with prisoners on personal and family matters as well as other issues which arise in relation to their confinement in prison.

Psychology Service — The principal aim of this service is to provide, in co-operation with others, a generic therapeutic service to prisoners aimed at addressing their psychological needs and at reducing re-offending.

Drug Treatment — Drug rehabilitation programmes for prisoners involve a significant multidimensional input by a diverse range of general and specialist services provided both by the Irish Prison Service and visiting statutory and non-statutory organisations. The programmes seek to reduce the demand for drugs within the prison system through education, treatment and rehabilitation services for drug-addicted prisoners. Particular initiatives include the provision of detoxification, methadone maintenance, education programmes, an information forum, addiction counselling, drug therapy programmes and the operation of Voluntary Drug Testing Units (also known as drug-free areas).

The new Irish Prison Service Drugs Policy & Strategy — Keeping Drugs Out of Prisons — will see existing drug treatment programmes being expanded and enhanced with the further recruitment of nurses, psychologists and 24 dedicated addiction counsellors, as well as other staff including prison officers. The expansion of these services is being achieved in partnership with community based services and will see a significant improvement in the range, quality and availability of drug treatment service in the prisons.

Sex Offender Programmes — Every effort is made to assist sex offenders in custody who are willing to participate at any level in their personal rehabilitation and relapse prevention. In this regard, there are three forms of direct therapeutic intervention currently available — i.e. individual counselling from the Irish Prison Service's Psychology Service and from the Probation Service; the Sex Offender Programme which has been in operation since 1994, and the Psychiatric Service which provides some support to prisoners in this category.

Participation Levels — Participation in education generally varies with factors such as access, facilities, turnover of population and segregation. At the end of 2006, 54% of prisoners in thirteen of our institutions were involved in some education (following the opening of the education unit in Cloverhill in late 2006, educational services are now available at all institutions). 29% of the total prison population in these institutions were intensively involved, i.e., for more than 10 hours per week of classes. This level of involvement in education whilst in prison is very high by international standards.

There are 90 workshops operating under the work and training programme, which actively cater each day for over 860 prisoners, representing about 26% of the average daily prisoner population. A total of 122 sex offenders have completed the sex offender programme to date. A further seven men are currently undertaking the programme in Arbour Hill Prison.

In addition to this, a large number of prisoners engage with services (e.g. Psychology, Probation Services) in the prisons on a one to one basis to address issues related to their offending and imprisonment. This may involve brief time limited intervention or, in certain cases, ongoing contact throughout their sentence. The same situation applies for the large number of in reach services operating in prisons.

In addition, the new Programme for Government contains significant commitments in the area of prisoner rehabilitation. My Department will be working closely with the Irish Prison Service to implement these commitments.