Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 15 February 2022
587. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Justice the steps her Department is taking to ensure that Ireland meets the target of reducing the prison population to 50 per 100,000 of the population; and the proposed timeline for achieving same. [7758/22]
View answerAs the Deputy will be aware, Ireland's prison population, while higher than the target of 50 per 100,000 which was proposed by the Irish Penal Reform Trust, is low by international standards.
As the Deputy will also know, significant action was taken to reduce the prisoner population in March 2020 to ensure that effective infection control was possible across the estate. However, prior to that period, a consistent increase in the number of people in custody and prison overcrowding was a feature in a number of areas, especially for women and remand prisoners.
Non-custodial penalties, particularly supervised community sanctions, play a significant and important role in addressing criminality, reducing reoffending and providing a degree of protection to the public. This is supported by Central Statistics Office figures on recidivism.
The Programme for Government 2020 contains a broad range of policies and proposals that represent a coherent approach to enhancing and sustaining a more just and safe society with a specific commitment to review policy options for prison and penal reform.
Justice Plan 2021 commits to the publication of a Penal Policy Action Plan. Work is at an advanced stage and I hope to be in a position to publish this plan in the coming period.
