asked the Minister for Justice the research, if any, which has been carried out over the last decade into rates of recidivism by inmates of penal institutions in Ireland; if so, if the results of such research indicate whether there are family patterns, socioeconomic trends or local or regional patterns in relation to the inmates of such institutions and if he will make such findings available.
Written Answers. - Recidivism in Penal Institutions.
350.
While the Annual Reports on Prisons contain a table which gives information about previous sentences of imprisonment served by persons committed to prison, I am not aware that any research project has been carried out into recidivism in this country. In this connection I think that we should consider some facts about developments in the penal field and about research or the lack of it in that area. First, in this decade there has been and there continues to be an unprecedented development of services in the prisons and in the welfare or probation service accompanied by an equally unprecedented programme of new building and of the renewal of existing buildings. Resources have been concentrated on these developments.
Second, we have available the result of research work of all kinds done in other countries. Third, the findings of research into the background to criminality tend to be valid for countries other than those to which they relate directly and, of course, they sometimes do little more than reinforce views already widely held. Fourth, some research projects in relation to the prisons commissioned by the Department have been completed and are currently being studied. Fifth, consultations are in progress in regard to the possible establishment of a research and statistics unit in my Department. Inevitably, of course, any such unit would have to be modest by comparision with what larger and wealthier countries can afford.