Billy Timmins (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Question 53: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the number of places available for sex offenders seeking treatment in Arbour Hill Prison; the number of prisoners incarcerated resulting from sexual offences; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14138/08]

Brian Lenihan Jnr (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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I can advise the Deputy that every effort is made to assist sex offenders in custody who are willing to participate at any level in rehabilitation and relapse prevention. There are three main forms of direct therapeutic intervention for sex offenders currently operating within the Irish prison system. These are as follows: an intensive sex offender programme which has been in operation since 1994 and is delivered currently in Arbour Hill Prison; individual counselling from the Irish Prison Service's Psychology Service and from the Probation Service; and one to one interventions by visiting psychiatrists who provide support to prisoners.

The intensive sex offender's programme is a group programme managed and delivered by the Irish Prison Service's Psychology Service in partnership with the Probation Service. It caters for eight offenders at a time, taking eleven months to complete. The programme is voluntary. Although delivered in Arbour Hill Prison, it is available to sex offenders in other prisons. The practice has been to invite all eligible sex offenders to apply for a place on the programme when a new group programme is being set up.

The programme is a structured, offence focused programme, employing a cognitive behavioural approach with a relapse prevention component. The programme places considerable emphasis on the therapeutic process within the group and on supporting each participant in gaining the knowledge, skills, attitudes and self confidence necessary to live life differently and more constructively in the future. The programme seeks to address the behaviour that leads to offending. A total of 128 sex offenders have completed the sex offender programme to date. A further eight men are currently undertaking the programme. There is no waiting list in operation in respect of participation on the programme.

The Programme is currently under review. Options under consideration include more flexible delivery of programmes based on individual offender's risks, needs and capacity. The likely outcome is a package of sex offender interventions comprising group and individual programmes for a significantly larger group of offenders.

Some individuals engage with the therapeutic services initially to seek assistance in adjusting to imprisonment or to address their mental health needs. Following such interventions, offenders are often more open to looking at their sexual offending and a concentrated period of motivational work is conducted to help them address their offending behaviour and related issues. In response to such counselling, many offenders who initially might deny responsibility for their crime or deny any need for treatment, are motivated towards some process of change. For some offenders this results in them undertaking the more intensive sex offender programme, for others it results in sustained individual therapy around their offending or engagement in some other programme available in the prison system.

Probation Officers working in a prison context provide individual counselling to sex offenders as part of their generic role in relation to offence focused work and as part of the Parole Board Process. This counselling can vary from one session addressing a particular problem to intensive ongoing counselling.

A number of offenders undergo one-to-one counselling in relation to their sexual offending. So far in 2008, the Irish Prison Service's Psychology Service has undertaken one-to-one offence-related interventions with 33 sex offenders. The Probation Service also engages with prisoners on a one-to-one basis.

As of 10 April, 2008, there were 269 persons serving sentences for sex offences.