Written answers

Thursday, 16 February 2017

Department of Justice and Equality

Prisoner Data

Photo of Bernard DurkanBernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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109. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality the number of prisoners that were first-time offenders and were given access to rehabilitative and educational training within the prison service over the past three years to date; the number of such persons that subsequently may have reoffended on release; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8005/17]

Photo of Frances FitzgeraldFrances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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I wish to advise the Deputy that the Irish Prison Service provides a wide range of rehabilitative programmes to those in custody that include education, vocational training, healthcare, psychiatric, psychological, counselling, welfare and spiritual services. These programmes can offer purposeful activity to those in custody while serving their sentences and encouraging them to lead law abiding lives on release. These programmes are available in all prisons and all prisoners are eligible to use the services.

On committal, all prisoners are interviewed by the Governor and are informed of the services available in the prison. At this point prisoners may be referred to services or they can self refer at a later date. Where Governors consider, on the information available, that a prisoner needs a particular intervention they will initiate a referral.

I am informed by the Irish Prison Service that they do not collate information in the format requested by the Deputy. However, the Irish Prison Service Recidivism study for 2010 shows that 2,561 persons out of a total of 9,339 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. The study, which was published on 10 November 2016, looked at the available data up to the end of 2013 to take account of the time to make a conviction and a broader 3 year analysis of recidivism.

Photo of Bernard DurkanBernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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110. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality the number of requests for admission to rehabilitative or educational training within the Prison Service that have been refused in each of the past three years to date, with particular reference to first time offenders; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8006/17]

Photo of Frances FitzgeraldFrances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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I wish to advise the Deputy that the Irish Prison Service provides a wide range of rehabilitative programmes to those in custody that include education, vocational training, healthcare, psychiatric, psychological, counselling, welfare and spiritual services. These programmes can offer purposeful activity to those in custody while serving their sentences and encouraging them to lead law abiding lives on release.

These programmes are available in all prisons and all prisoners are eligible to use the services. No prisoners were refused access to rehabilitative or education training within the prison system. However, on some occasions, prisoners may have to wait for a place to become available on an education programme.

On committal, all prisoners are interviewed by the Governor and are informed of the services available in the prison. At this point prisoners may be referred to services or they can self refer at a later date. Where Governors consider, on the information available, that a prisoner needs a particular intervention they will initiate a referral.

The manner in which records are collated does not allow us to differentiate between first-time offenders and repeat offenders.

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