Carol Nolan (Laois-Offaly, Independent)
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324. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of sexual offenders currently taking part in sexual offence rehabilitation programmes in Irish prisons; if she is aware that such programmes have a very low level of participation; how she intends to address this phenomenon; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37771/24]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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The Building Better Lives (BBL) programme has been delivered as the treatment programme for sexual offending since 2009 in Irish Prisons. It is based on Canada’s Rockwood model of treatment. The programme is provided over two stages; a shorter motivational group (Exploring Better Lives; EBL) and the longer term more intensive treatment group, Practicing Better Lives (PBL). Typically eight participants attend each group and participation has occurred in the last 2 years of a persons sentence.

I am advised by the Irish Prison Service that all those in custody, who have been convicted of a sexual offence, are screened for their suitability for the BBL programme but that in order to ensure effectiveness, the programme has strict inclusion and exclusion criteria for participation. These criteria include admission of the offence and harm caused, stability of mental health and personality, sufficient sentence length, moderate to high risk of re-offending, and capacity to engage in group programming. Participation is not mandatory as imposed interventions are compromised in their efficacy as well as raising ethical and legal concerns and there is also a requirement for lengthy pre and post-assessment reports. All of these factors impact the number of people eligible or suitable to participate in the programme and the total number of participants who completed the Building Better Lives programme (both EBL and PBL) in 2023 was 11.

I can further advise the Deputy that the BBL programme has been reviewed based on the emergence of updated research evidence, discussion with field experts, new Council of Europe recommendations and the new National Strategy on Domestic, Sexual and Gender-based Violence, and that as a result of this, the Irish Prison Psychology Service has developed a new model of intervention for people convicted of sexual violence. This new model will offer a wider variety of therapeutic programmes and will be run in Arbour Hill and the Midlands Prisons.

Significant changes include, risk assessment at an early stage in sentence to inform sentence management and treatment options, working with people who deny and minimise their offence(s), working with people with mental disorders who have been sexually violent, and provision of a broader range of treatment options for people in all risk categories and those serving shorter sentences.

It is anticipated that the new model will widen access to treatment for men convicted of sexual violence and increase participation rates. The new model should witness a significant reduction in the current barriers to treatment as outlined above.