According to a Council of Europe survey report published on 3 May, Ireland's prisoner release rate is the second highest in Europe, while its imprisonment rate is eighth highest. The Council of Europe Penal Statistics (SPACE 1) report revealed that Ireland has a very high prisoner turnover rate - 81 per 100 prisoners, compared with a European average of 51. Irish prison terms are on average three months long, compared with a European average of ten months. Ireland also imprisons a higher than average amount of juveniles and young persons, but a lower than average amount of white collar criminals. Click here to read an Irish Examiner article on Ireland’s committal and release rate.
The Irish Penal Reform Trust said that “short-term prison sentences for minor offences are ineffective and damaging, allowing prisoners no option to take part in rehabilitation or drug treatment programs, and causing serious disruption to family life, housing and employment.” IPRT Director Liam Herrick said to the Irish Examiner that Ireland “continues to imprison a remarkable number of minor offenders every year” and that there was an “overuse of imprisonment for less serious offences and for fines default, along with a high proportion of prisoners committed on remand.” Click here to read the IPRT press release.
The report also found that overcrowding is a problem in about half of Europe’s prisons. Russia was the only country to not answer the survey, and has continuously failed to do so since 2006.
At the Prison Officers Association conference, Minister for Justice Alan Shatter said that he is disappointed that judges are largely ignoring new legislation that enables them to impose community service terms instead of short prison sentences. He said that the community service order scheme “reduces the expenditure of the prison service and also reduces overcrowding in the prisons” and that encouraging use of the scheme “is a very important issue in the public interest.”
Click here to read an Irish Times article on Minister Shatter's comments.
Meanwhile, the Minister for Youth and Children's Affairs' office was summoned by Judge Ryan to the Children's Court to explain the lack of juvenile detention places available. Government officials that appeared before the Court were questioned on why a 16 year old defendant could not be detained in Oberstown Boys School, despite there being empty beds in the facility. Numbers at Oberstown have increased sharply since the government ended its policy of sending 16 year olds to St Patrick’s Institution. Judge Ryan told officials that it was not good enough that the Government was having audits, meetings and reviews about the matter. In a press release, the Department said that it is working to create more juvenile spaces. In late April the government approved plans to amalgamate three children’s detention centres at Oberstown.
Click here to read the Department's press release.
Click here to read the SPACE 1 report.
Click here to read a press release from the Council of Europe on the SPACE 1 report.