Written Answers. - Prison Medical Service.
Question:
161
Mr. Coveney
asked the
Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform
the rehabilitative programmes available for prisoners, specifically in regard to psychology services; the prisons which have such services available; and if there are any existing recommendations regarding the ratio of prisoners to psychiatrists, psychologists or social workers.
[4138/01]
One of the prime objectives of the Prison Service is to develop and put in place an enhanced range of rehabilitative measures which will be made available to all prisoners. The Prison Service already provides a wide range of rehabilitative programmes, many of which are available to the general body of prisoners. These have the dual purpose of providing prisoners with purposeful activity while serving their sentences and encouraging them to lead non-offending lives on release.
The psychological service is currently made up of one head of service and nine clinical psychologists. The service's work includes the provision of long-term therapy, supportive counselling, motivational counselling, and a crisis intervention service. The Service are also involved in the development of programmes which target those characteristics of offenders which are known to be associated with recidivism. These programmes include, the sex offender treatment programme and the thinking skills course.
The sex offender treatment programme is available in Arbour Hill Prison and the Curragh Place of Detention. This programme is delivered by officers of the probation and welfare and the psychological services. The Arbour Hill programme can cater for up to ten offenders at one time and takes ten to eleven months to complete. A second programme was recently introduced in the Curragh Place of Detention. The emphasis is on accepting personal responsibility for the offence and developing effective relapse prevention strategies for each offender.
The thinking skills course referred to above was introduced in Arbour Hill and Cork prison early in 1998 and more recently to the Curragh Place of Detention. It is designed to target a range of offenders including sex offenders, particularly with a view to motivating the latter group to engage in the most intensive programmes. The course is run by multi-disciplinary teams, including prison officers, probation and welfare staff and teaching staff under the guidance of the psychological service.
A psychology service is currently available in Mountjoy Prison, St. Patrick's Institution, Cork and Limerick Prisons, Shanganagh Castle, Wheatfield Place of Detention, Arbour Hill, Fort Mitchel, the Training Unit and the Curragh Place of Detention. The prisons not presently covered are Portlaoise Prison, Castlerea Prison, Cloverhill Prison, the Midlands Prison, Loughan House and Shelton Abbey. However, a Governor can request the services of the psychological service should the need arise in any of the institutions not currently serviced.
In December 1998 I approved the establishment of an expert group to review and report on the future role, needs, structure and organisation of the psychology service of my Department. The report of this group was published in August, 1999. Since then the number of psychologists employed by the prison service has increased to 10. In addition, the recruitment of further psychologists for the prison service is under way.
Every effort is being made by my Department to address the question of vacancies in the probation and welfare service. The Civil Service Commission recently held a recruitment campaign to fill both existing vacancies and newly sanctioned posts. Offers of appointment are currently in the process of being made to successful candidates. In addition my Department have recently advertised for the recruitment of 25 additional full-time temporary positions of probation and welfare officer. Assignments to fill vacancies in the service will be made as candidates from both these competitions take up duty in the coming months.
I can assure the Deputy that recruitment will continue until all vacancies and the new posts in the service have been filled. My Department is also working to heighten the profile of the probation and welfare service as a career option for social work graduates and in this regard availed of the Opportunities 2001 Recruitment Fair at the RDS from 3 to 6 February, 2001 to promote the service to graduates.
The psychiatric service is provided to the prisons and places of detention by visiting psychiatrists. My officials in the Department and in the prisons service are working with the Eastern Regional Health Authority to improve the organisation and level of psychiatric input in prisons in the Dublin area. It is envisaged that the improvements in psychiatric care being developed through this dialogue will be extended, where feasible, to prisons within other health board areas.
I have established a group to review the structure and organisation of prisons health care services including psychiatric services. I expect to have a report from the group by mid-2001. It is my intention that this report will be published as soon as possible. Any recommendations made by this group in relation to improving prison health care services will be treated as a matter of priority by me.
