Written answers

Wednesday, 8 June 2016

Department of Justice and Equality

Prisoner Data

Photo of Tommy BroughanTommy Broughan (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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118. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality the number of women, by length of sentence and by the number of repeat offenders, imprisoned in each of the years 2012 to 2016 to date; the additional resources she is providing to the Irish Prison Service and the Irish Probation Service to address this growing trend; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14774/16]

Photo of Frances FitzgeraldFrances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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I am informed by the Irish Prison Service that the number of women committed under sentence in 2012 to 2015 categorised by length of sentence is set out in the table below, figures for 2016 are not yet available.

Year 2012Year 2013Year 2014Year 2015
< 3 Months1,7361,9312,3612,707
3 to < 6 Months171163144127
6 to < 12 Months1211359495
1 to < 2 Years23222126
2 to < 3 Years23151313
3 to < 5 Years111367
5 to < 10 Years7242
Life Sentence0312
Total2,092 committals involving 1,860 women2,284 committals involving 2,050 women2,644 committals involving 2,408 women2,979 committals involving 2,673 women

I am further informed by the Irish Prison Service that they do not collate information in relation to repeat offenders in the format requested by the Deputy. However, the Irish Prison Service Recidivism study for 2009 shows that 2,304 persons out of a total of 7,509 that were released in that year went on to re-offend within the first 6 months of release. As well as offences committed after expiration of sentence,this figure also includes offences committed before their official release date and this would take account of crimes committed while on early release, day release, and compassionate release. It also includes offences committed while in custody such as assaults and possession of mobile phones.

These figures were produced in partnership with the Central Statistics Office using a combination of Garda Síochána and Irish Prison Service records, based on the Irish Crime Classification System (ICCS). The study, which was published in December 2015, looked at the available data up to the end of 2012 to take account of the time to make a conviction and a broader 3 year analysis of recidivism.

In the joint Probation Service/Irish Prison Service Women's Strategy 2014 - 2016, An Effective Response to Women Who Offend, published in 2014, the Irish Prison Service made a commitment to explore the development of an open centre/open conditions for women assessed as low risk of re-offending.

This commitment was acknowledged in the Report on the Strategic Review of Penal Policy who also recommended that a greater focus on step down facilities, supported accommodation, use of more community based open conditions for female offenders and the provision of an open centre for women.

A joint Irish Prison Service/Probation Service working group considered an open centre for women and decided to recommend, rather than developing an open centre for women, that a more practical and cost effective way to address the deficit is to pursue step down facilities for women.

In this regard, I have given approval to the Heads of the Irish Prison Service and Probation Service to proceed to scope the possibilities for the development of step down units for female offenders and female ex-offenders.

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