Advertisement

We need your help now

Support from readers like you keeps The Journal open.

You are visiting us because we have something you value. Independent, unbiased news that tells the truth. Advertising revenue goes some way to support our mission, but this year it has not been enough.

If you've seen value in our reporting, please contribute what you can, so we can continue to produce accurate and meaningful journalism. For everyone who needs it.

Shutterstock

Are prisoners being freed temporarily to relieve overcrowding?

Fianna Fáil believes that temporary release is being used to ease overcrowding in some prisons.

OVER 600 PRISONERS were on temporary release on a single day earlier this month.

Although the number is not unusual in present circumstances – there were 642 prisoners in temporary release on one day in September – Fianna Fáil believes that some prisoners are being allowed out on temporary release in order to relieve overcrowding.

The latest figures show that 3 November there were 608 prisoners on temporary release across the prison system.

Over a third of those were on structured temporary release programmes such as the Community Return Programme or Community Support Scheme.

Prisons breakdown

Those on temporary release on that day include three people convicted of homicide, one convicted for a sexual offence and 173 for controlled drug offences.

Offences

Separate figures show pressure on bed capacity in Mountjoy and Cork prisons where there are concerns about overcrowding.

On 31 October this year the female prison in Mountjoy was at 109 per cent capacity with 114 women in custody compared to 105 available beds.

While in Cork there were 219 prisoners to 210 beds representing 104 per cent of bed capacity.

Prison capacity

On 3 November, 43 women in Mountjoy were allowed out on temporary release while in Cork prison 123 prisoners were allowed on temporary release.

Fianna Fáil’s justice spokesperson Niall Collins said: “This Government has failed to overhaul an expensive, ineffective and outdated penal system. The figures for temporary release show that our prisons are struggling to cope with reduced resources and a lack of leadership from the Government parties in reforming that system.”

Collins said the government has failed to take on board a report on penal reform by the Oireachtas Justice Committee and the recommendations in the review of penal policy published earlier this year.

‘Real and tangible benefits’

In her response to parliamentary question, the Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald said that the basis for making decision on temporary release take into account various factors including the gravity of offence, the amount of sentence served and a person’s conduct in prison.

Fitzgerald pointed out that 9 out of 14 prisons in the country have complied with the Inspector of Prisons guidelines that there be a maximum of 3,976 people in custody.

She also said there has been a nearly 20 per cent decrease in the number of prisoners in custody since the government came to office over three years ago.

Fitzgerald has said previously that the Community Return Programme was delivering “real and tangible benefits to the State” by saving prison spaces and moving away from the unstructured release of prisoners.

Responding to the publication of the Penal Policy Review Group report in September Fitzgerald said that future penal policy must have two key goals: “The societal need for punishment to be served must be met. But the proven potential to reduce crime through reducing re-offending must also be grasped.”

Read: Here’s how many prisoners were given temporary release since 2009 … and never came back

Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone...
A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation.

Close
26 Comments
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Fred Jensen
    Favourite Fred Jensen
    Report
    May 7th 2017, 8:10 PM

    Should have been put underground. Hopefully this will be the last large overground project in the city centre, and Metro North and other projects will all be put underground.

    234
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Dub_Right
    Favourite Dub_Right
    Report
    May 7th 2017, 8:44 PM

    @Fred Jensen: Would rather have Dart underground from Westland row to Heuston, with a link up to the cross town Luas lines..

    53
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Brinster
    Favourite Brinster
    Report
    May 7th 2017, 9:37 PM

    @Fred Jensen:

    Dawson St Luas is an utter, utter disgrace.

    Businesses there have had to put up with continuous disruption for FOUR years.

    The Empire State Building was built in 1 year and 45 days, over 80 years ago.

    It takes us 4 years to put down 300 metres of track on Dawson St. That an average of 20 centimetres of track per day.

    Disgrace.

    319
    See 6 more replies ▾
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Dub_Right
    Favourite Dub_Right
    Report
    May 7th 2017, 10:10 PM

    @Brinster: Dublin is a medieval city with many underground basements, streams, crypts/historically sensitive buildings which have to be very carefully managed to ensure foundations are not affected, and have to be carefully worked around by archaeologists and not some polish lad in a JCB..

    It’s not like in say London or German/European cities which were pretty much destroyed completely or heavily damaged in the war, and allowed city planners to build underground or overground rail from a blank canvas.

    59
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Ron Koeman
    Favourite Ron Koeman
    Report
    May 7th 2017, 10:13 PM

    @Brinster: absolute joke Dubai have the same system and put it round a whole city in half the time and there’s no accidents either

    34
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Dub_Right
    Favourite Dub_Right
    Report
    May 7th 2017, 10:34 PM

    @Ron Koeman: Dubai = Massive blank canvas, all new buildings and roads in that city…They have 12 lane motorways through the city centre!
    Also Pre-Oil Dubai in the 1930′s and 40′s was full of shacks and small stone buildings.

    Not a fair comparison to Dublin, even though you may think so as they kinda sound the same, lol!

    54
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Mary Murphy
    Favourite Mary Murphy
    Report
    May 7th 2017, 11:48 PM

    @Fred Jensen: No doubt it will all be dug up again for a variety of reasons due to no joined up thinking……and in less than six years

    20
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Krystian Brzezowski
    Favourite Krystian Brzezowski
    Report
    May 8th 2017, 7:38 AM

    @Dub_Right: really? Some Polish lad in JCB? What that supposed to mean? Anyway those medieval crypts basements etc. where filled prior to the construction, construction of tracks itself is taking huge amount of time. What is the excuse for taking so long on O’Connell street? Same crypts?

    16
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Brinster
    Favourite Brinster
    Report
    May 8th 2017, 9:10 AM

    @Dub_Right:

    Four years! Four flippin years.

    And I wouldn’t mind if it was four years of continuous construction. I would n’t mind if it took four years for engineering/architectural reasons.

    But it didn’t.

    It has taken four whole years of continuous disruption because at no time (and I work round the corner) has there been more than 10 people working on site on any given day.

    Despite the fact that most of the street is dug up most of the time – most of the “works” are idle for literally months on end.

    15
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Grainne Abdulaziz
    Favourite Grainne Abdulaziz
    Report
    May 7th 2017, 8:10 PM

    I’ve bought two penis pumps from Moore Street establishments in the past year, both excellent quality. It’s a shame their businesses are being affected like this.

    160
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute The Viking
    Favourite The Viking
    Report
    May 7th 2017, 8:22 PM

    @Grainne Abdulaziz: Jazus Grainne.. Surprised to hear you have a penis. Then again i dont think you could enlarge the size of your dick ..

    59
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Paddy Downey
    Favourite Paddy Downey
    Report
    May 7th 2017, 8:35 PM

    I remember businesses in Harcourt Street complaining about the devastating effects the Lúas works were having on them back a few years. Nobody in authority cared then and nobody in authority cares now.

    124
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Jason Culligan
    Favourite Jason Culligan
    Report
    May 7th 2017, 8:41 PM

    @Paddy Downey: Why should they? Should all national infrastructure projects be cancelled if they inconvenience a few people?

    133
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Dub_Right
    Favourite Dub_Right
    Report
    May 7th 2017, 8:48 PM

    @Paddy Downey: Copper Face Jacks was hit really bad by the lack of lads in the GAA jerseys… Oh wait…

    39
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Tony Stack
    Favourite Tony Stack
    Report
    May 7th 2017, 8:41 PM

    And now they will make a fortune once it gets going , swings & roundabouts

    99
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute HoneySmuggler617
    Favourite HoneySmuggler617
    Report
    May 7th 2017, 8:16 PM

    A bit late now considering there finished in a few months. No sympathy anyways

    72
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute filthypete
    Favourite filthypete
    Report
    May 7th 2017, 8:20 PM

    @HoneySmuggler617: poor attempt.

    27
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Fergal Doyle
    Favourite Fergal Doyle
    Report
    May 8th 2017, 12:34 AM

    @HoneySmuggler617: Clown

    6
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Dub_Right
    Favourite Dub_Right
    Report
    May 7th 2017, 8:33 PM

    “Really affecting my Deli business”… Cue all the lads from the Luas works outside coming in to buy a Chicken fillet roll, can of coke, crisps, packet of fags… Yea.. terrible for the business! lol!

    104
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Atlantean Irish
    Favourite Atlantean Irish
    Report
    May 8th 2017, 12:51 AM

    But the works on Parnell street only got going in terms of them being an obstructive presence late last year. And vehicles can still travel down Parnell and Moore street, plus it is packed with people.

    Parnell and Moore street is packed mostly now with foreigners, both shoppers and shop owners, there is a muslim butchers in the back of a muslim grocery shop, not sure if still open.

    But the question arises, is the lack of custom to the Irish butcher due to the Luas or lack of customers due to different food habits of foreign customers or not eating non-halal meat or competition?

    32
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Paul
    Favourite Paul
    Report
    May 8th 2017, 1:04 AM

    @Atlantean Irish: keep that quiet, another half arsed job from the Journal.

    9
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Anne Honer
    Favourite Anne Honer
    Report
    May 7th 2017, 9:53 PM

    Monday to Friday between Houston station and town it’s full of junkies attendi

    35
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Sandra Clifford
    Favourite Sandra Clifford
    Report
    May 7th 2017, 9:12 PM

    It will be just another junkie ridden luas

    62
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Mary Murphy
    Favourite Mary Murphy
    Report
    May 7th 2017, 11:51 PM

    @Sandra Clifford: exactly eying up the windows on the houses they can visit in their own time and on our dime

    14
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Anne Honer
    Favourite Anne Honer
    Report
    May 7th 2017, 9:53 PM

    Court it’s scary

    9
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Steve Tracey
    Favourite Steve Tracey
    Report
    May 8th 2017, 10:24 AM

    Not to do with effects onsses no it will because people cant cross roads or get on/off buxses conveniently/. Due to the fencing there is no way of getting on or off buses going north incl Airport from Fosters Place to just past the GPO. This also applies to taxis, very few gaps where the road can be crossed by pedestrians

    2
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Marie Byrne
    Favourite Marie Byrne
    Report
    May 9th 2017, 12:33 AM

    To be honest I don’t come into town at all on principle because the parking charges are so high. I can pay for parking but choose not too. I can go to plenty of shopping centres with no parking or a minimum charge to get what I want I don’t want the stores to be hit but would seriously love the car parks who charge exorbitant rates to suffer they have well made their money – but not off me

    1
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Said Babayev
    Favourite Said Babayev
    Report
    May 8th 2017, 8:19 AM

    @Anne Honer: Is that the one in Texas?

    1
Submit a report
Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines.
Thank you for the feedback
Your feedback has been sent to our team for review.
JournalTv
News in 60 seconds