Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 30 September 2015
113. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the monitoring and supervisory steps taken by An Garda Síochána, or any other State body, in instances where a person is released from prison early on good behaviour. [33570/15]
View answerI can advise the Deputy that persons released early from the custody of the Irish Prison Service, including those subject to review by the Parole Board, are granted reviewable temporary release.
This is where a prisoner is granted a specific period of temporary release from prison. This can be of varying intervals, for example, weekly, monthly or annually. The period of release is reviewed when the prisoner returns to prison as part of their conditions and a decision is made whether to refuse or grant a further period of reviewable temporary release.
All those persons released on reviewable temporary release are subject to conditions, including, in the vast majority of cases, a requirement to report on set dates to a Garda Station. Gardaí are notified of all such releases and the conditions of those releases by the Irish Prison Service. An offender who breaches his or her conditions may be arrested and returned to prison immediately by the Gardaí or may be refused another period of temporary release by the Irish Prison Service.
In addition to the monitoring of compliance with conditions of temporary release by An Garda Síochána there are different obligations in respect of the supervision of offenders depending on the category of case. For cases which are subject to Court ordered supervision in the community, such as part suspended sentence supervision orders or post release supervision orders, the Probation Service engages with those offenders prior to release and supervise them on release, in line with the Court Order.
Prisoners released to participate in the Community Return Scheme are obliged to attend pre-selected Community Service sites, to undertake unpaid community work, under the supervision of a Community Service Supervisor of the Probation Service.
The Probation Service informs the Irish Prison Service of any concerns it may have about clients while on the Community Return Scheme which can lead to re-committal to prison. Behaviour while on release obviously has a strong bearing on any decision to grant further periods of release.
The Deputy will also be aware that electronic monitoring is used by the Irish Prison Service to monitor a small number of prisoners who have been granted temporary release. In considering any prisoner for temporary release, under the specified conditions relating to the management of the electronic monitoring process, public safety remains the primary operational consideration
