Saoirse Brady

The Irish Penal Reform Trust (IPRT) commissioned RED C to gauge public opinion on a range of issues related to prison and the criminal justice system ahead of the general election later this month.

More than eight in 10 (81 per cent) of adults said they believe it is important for the next government to prioritise alternatives to imprisonment in cases of non-violent offences, with broad support across all major political party voters.

Only 26 per cent of respondents said they view prison as an effective tool for addressing non-violent crime, underlining a strong appetite for more innovative approaches, such as specialist courts and community service.

The poll also reveals that by wide margins, voters of the main political parties question the use of prisons as the best way to deal with crime.

When asked about how they would spend an annual budget of €10 million to best tackle crime, over one in three would prioritise person-centred interventions such as additional drug treatment places, extra youth workers, and more consultant psychologists. Fewer than one in 10 see additional prison spaces as a priority.

In general, people are sceptical about the merits of expanding prison capacity. A significant 68 per cent of respondents feel that expanding prison capacity will not reduce crime. Instead, they believe tackling the underlying causes of crime is more effective.

The poll reveals that when given a choice of how to deal with people who commit non-violent offences, respondents preferred to divert them away from prison, with the net top three choices being to refer people with underlying issues to specialist courts for drugs, sentencing people to community service or for the person who committed the offence to provide reparation to the victims.

Saoirse Brady, IPRT executive director, said: “In the coming weeks we expect to hear more of the same political rhetoric that the next government must be harder on crime.

“That is why we commissioned this poll in advance of the general election to take the public temperature and find out what people on the ground really think when it comes to the use of prison and the criminal justice system.

“Clearly this is not a black and white issue — people recognise the complexities and underlying causes that result in many people coming into conflict with the law and often leading to imprisonment.

“IPRT is extremely encouraged to see positive appetite for change with four in five people believing it’s important to focus on alternatives to prison for people who commit non-violent offences in the next programme for government. Only one out of four believes prison is effective at reducing non-violent crime.”

She continued: “The results demonstrate that not only do people understand the social issues that may lead some people to offend in the first place including mental health challenges, trauma, addiction, the cost in the rise of living and homelessness for example, but they also indicate an underlying sense of compassion.

“There was a clear awareness of current levels of prison overcrowding being poor — 48 per cent — and most people do not consider prison to be a magic bullet to stop offending. Many realise that prison is a damaging experience given that 51 per cent of those polled thought that people left prison worse than when they entered.

“An overwhelming majority also thought that people released into homelessness were more likely to reoffend.

“Unfortunately given the experience in other places, we suspect this to be true here as well. During a housing crisis and in the absence of stable accommodation and appropriate health and social supports, it is very challenging to move on with your life after prison.

“Two-thirds believe that crime should be tackled at its root causes instead of expanding prisons. In fact, roughly two thirds of those polled felt that people with mental health challenges or addiction difficulties should receive treatment in a dedicated facility instead of being sent to prison.

“This common-sense approach would not only result in improved outcomes for individuals and their families but would also save the taxpayer millions of euros each year and ultimately result in safer communities in the longer-run given what we know to be effective in preventing reoffending.”

Ms Brady concluded: “IPRT hopes that these findings will inform a robust debate over the coming weeks and put to bed a lot of the assumptions about the general public’s views of the penal system.

“Finally, we hope that this new information will empower the incoming government to shift its thinking, make politically brave decisions and invest in meaningful solutions that will result in both a more effective and humane penal system as well as ending cycles of disadvantage and harm faced by so many in the criminal justice system.”