Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 8 December 2004
133 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the number of persons convicted and jailed for serious crime that have been released in the past seven years; the extent to which all or none have returned to crime; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32721/04]
View answerWhile accurate figures relating to rates of recidivism in the prisoner population are not yet available, the computerisation of prisoner records from 2001 will, in future, provide a more detailed view of a prisoner's past committal history. The director general of the Prison Service recently commissioned a major three year research project on this topic which, it is expected, will present an accurate picture of recidivism which, in turn, will assist and shape the way we manage prison sentences in the future. The findings of this research are expected in early 2007.
