Written answers

Thursday, 23 June 2011

Department of Justice, Equality and Defence

Prison Education Service

6:00 pm

Photo of Bernard DurkanBernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 133: To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality the extent to which rehabilitative, educational, psychological or other training is available for prisoners at all locations throughout the country; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16897/11]

Photo of Bernard DurkanBernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 134: To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality the extent to which short-term prisoners serving sentences for minor crimes are able to access rehabilitative training and support while in prison; the extent to which such services remain available on their release; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16898/11]

Photo of Alan ShatterAlan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 133 and 134 together.

I can advise the Deputy that the Irish Prison Service provides a range of rehabilitative programmes which have the dual purpose of providing prisoners with purposeful activity while serving their sentences and encouraging and equipping them to lead productive lives on release. Amongst these are health care, psychiatric, psychological, educational, work and training, vocational, counselling, welfare and spiritual services. These services are important in addressing offending behaviour, 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.

Educational services are available at all institutions and are provided in partnership with a range of educational agencies in the community including the VECs, Public Library Services, colleges and the Arts Council. Literacy, numeracy and general basic education provision is the priority and broad programmes of education are made available which generally follow an adult education approach. During 2010 approximately 35% of the prison population attended classes.

A significant expansion and development of vocational training programmes has taken place in recent years and there are now over 90 workshops in place in our prisons capable of catering for in excess of 800 prisoners each day. There was a significant increase in the number of prisoners who participated in accredited vocational training courses in 2010 when compared to the numbers recorded for 2009; 874 prisoners attended such courses last year, up from 376 who participated in 2009, an increase of 132%.

The Psychology Service offers group and individual interventions to all prisoners. Group interventions include programmes on motivational enhancement, relapse prevention, anxiety management, dialectical behaviour therapy, stress management, enhanced thinking skills and anger control. A particular emphasis has been put on the development of programmes for prisoners convicted of sex offences and violent offences. Individual interventions comprise therapeutic work focusing on mental health care and offence-related issues, motivational counselling and crisis counselling. Significant progress is also being made in the development of programmes based on risk assessment and rehabilitation needs.

Integrated Sentence Management System (ISM) is a prisoner-centred, multidisciplinary approach to working with prisoners with provision for initial assessment, goal setting and periodic review to measure progress. ISM is now in operation in twelve prisons. Since the commencement of the pilot in the summer of 2008, approximately 2,200 prisoners have been offered participation in ISM and approximately 1,700 were participating at the end of May 2011.

The full range of services is available to all prisoners, although prisoners on shorter sentences may not be able to complete the full range of course-work and programmes. Staff working in prisons have a wealth of experience in tailoring programmes to suit both short term and long term prisoners. In all cases, services endeavour to provide as complete a regime as possible within the time available.

The Probation Service has an active role in helping prisoners to 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.

Question No. 135 answered with Question No. 129.

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