Vol. 516 No. 4
104 Mr. Howlin asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the number of persons within the prison system who were homeless prior to sentencing; if specific post-release care is arranged on release for homeless prisoners; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8371/00]
Of the 2,889 prisoners in custody on Monday 20 March, there were 50 persons – approximately 1.7% of the prison population – who, on committal, had given their address as no fixed abode. Experience has, however, shown that many prisoners who were effectively homeless prior to committal will deny their homeless status or will assert that accommodation is available to them upon release so as not to prejudice their prospects for early release. The 1996 survey of Mountjoy prisoners commissioned by the Department from Dr. Paul O'Mahony recorded that 8% of the prisoners he interviewed were homeless on committal. This was more than double the 3% figure for this category in Dr. O'Mahony's previous survey in 1986.
Prisoners who are known to be homeless are not granted early release. Every effort is made to provide them with some form of accommodation where possible on completion of their sentence(s).
Two categories of prisoner experience particularly high levels of difficulty in being rehoused following release. These are sex offenders and drug related offenders. Women offenders convicted of drug related offences or in dependant relationships with persons in this category particularly suffer from homelessness subsequent to release from prison, according to prison staff.
The Probation and Welfare Service implements programmes of supervised temporary release in the cases of those prisoners whose early release is planned and who continue to serve the balance of their sentence in the community. In these cases the issues of accommodation and homelessness would be examined along with a number of other factors in the preparatory stages. Where a prisoner is unable to return to his/her family home, either because of the nature of the offence or for other reasons, efforts are made to relocate the offender upon release to a different part of the country or city as appropriate.
The Probation and Welfare Service also works in close association with a number of voluntary community groups in the provision of accommodation for those released from custody or those under supervision in the community.
