Written answers
Thursday, 1 December 2011
Department of Justice, Equality and Defence
Prison Committals
5:00 pm
Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 153: To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality the total number of prisoners at all prisons serving sentences for serious crime; the extent to which such numbers have fluctuated in recent years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38237/11]
Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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The statistics requested by the Deputy are provided in the following tables. In 2010 the Irish Prison Service recategorised the offence groups under which prisoners' convictions are recorded. Statistics are now compiled using the same groups as those used by An Garda Síochána, the Central Statistics Office, the Courts Service and the Probation Service.
On 28th October, 2011 there were 4,249 persons in custody, 3,611 of which were sentenced prisoners. The offence profile for those prisoners is provided in the following table as well as the profile for the sentenced prisoner population on 30 November 2010. About 85% of sentenced prisoners are serving sentences of one year or more.
| Offence | 28.10.11 | 30.11.10 |
| Homicide Offences | 375 | 368 |
| Sexual Offences | 305 | 310 |
| Attempts/Threat to Murder, Assaults, Related Offences | 422 | 455 |
| Dangerous or Negligent Acts | 90 | 110 |
| Kidnapping and Related Offences | 38 | 34 |
| Robbery, Extortion and Hijacking Offences | 94 | 90 |
| Burglary and Related Offences | 321 | 334 |
| Theft and Related Offences | 646 | 651 |
| Fraud, Deception and Related Offences | 38 | 37 |
| Controlled Drug Offences | 777 | 852 |
| Weapons and Explosives Offences | 197 | 209 |
| Damage to Property and to the Environment | 106 | 96 |
| Public Order and Other Social Code Offences | 61 | 49 |
| Road and Traffic Offences | 56 | 71 |
| Offences against Govt., Justice Procedures and Org. Crime | 58 | 47 |
| Offences Not Elsewhere Classified | 27 | 8 |
| Total | 3,611 | 3,721 |
The profile for the years 2007 to 2009 is included in the following table.
| Offence | 4.12.09 | 5.12.08 | 5.12.07 |
| Murder | 264 | 251 | 228 |
| Manslaughter | 71 | 72 | 84 |
| Sexual Offences | 292 | 275 | 237 |
| Other Offences against the person | 526 | 433 | 405 |
| Offences against property with violence | 102 | 96 | 86 |
| Offences against property without violence | 941 | 749 | 696 |
| Drug Offences | 760 | 567 | 472 |
| Road Traffic Offences | 170 | 184 | 190 |
| Other Offences | 292 | 317 | 298 |
| Total | 3,418 | 2,944 | 2,696 |
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