Oireachtas report find imprisonment is ‘systematically overused’ in Ireland

There is a “systematic overuse” of imprisonment as punishment in Ireland, according to a new report on penal reform and sentencing published by the Oireachtas justice committee.

The report, launched this morning, makes a series of high-level recommendations to better rehabilitate offenders and reduce recidivism.

A key recommendation is that the Government should adopt a clear strategy to reduce the prison population by half over a fixed timescale.

It argues that a “one size fits all” philosophy is not appropriate for prison environments and there is still a huge over-reliance in the prison system on closed prisons - 16 to 17 hours per day spent in the cell.

Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin, chair of the Oireachtas joint committee on justice and equality, said: “The committee held a series of public meetings in 2017 with stakeholder groups on the subject of penal reform in order to better understand the issues surrounding the topic and how best to improve the situation.

“Over the course of our engagement with stakeholders, it became abundantly clear that there is systematic overuse of imprisonment as punishment in Ireland, and that sentencing alternatives need to be explored.

“It also became clear that conditions in prisons themselves are unacceptable, and that far more needs to be done to rehabilitate offenders, reduce recidivism, and minimise the impact of crime on victims and the community.”

The Irish Penal Reform Trust (IPRT), which appeared before the committee last year, has welcomed the publication of the report.

Executive director Deirdre Malone said: “We welcome the report and are pleased to see that it reflects many of IPRT’s policy positions for a penal system that is just and humane, that protects and promotes human rights, equality and social justice, and that only uses prison as a sanction of last resort.

“We are particularly pleased about a number of strong developments and recommendations in the report.

“These include a cap on prisoner numbers in each institution, along with the adoption of a clear strategy to reduce the prison population by half over a fixed time scale; the increased use of innovative community-based semi-open facilities; and at least 12 hours per day out of cell time with meaningful activities for prisoners.”

Ms Malone added: “We welcome the committee’s commitment to discussing its report with Minister Flanagan and look forward to engaging with both the committee and the minister on next steps to ensure the swift implementation of the recommendations.”