Catherine Connolly
Question:602. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Justice the basis of the trial currently under way on the grove in Castlerea (details supplied). [11691/22]
View answerTuesday, 1 March 2022
Questions (602)
Written answers
I can advise the Deputy that the Grove area in Castlerea Prison consists of eight dwelling houses with accommodation for 55 prisoners and is designed to support the development of independent living skills.
In addition, there are a number of workshops, an education area, kitchen and communal dining area as well as a staff office.
I can further advise the Deputy that there has been an increase in the number of sex offenders committed to custody over the past number of years. The Prison Service has examined a number of options including accommodation in the Grove area to incentivise participation in constructive activities and prison-based therapeutic interventions to enhance public safety on release.
The Grove Area in Castlerea was selected for a number of reasons including access to services, its location away from the main prison and for other security and operational reasons.
A Standard Operating Procedure has been developed to allow for the selection and transfer of prisoners who are ready for step down procedures in sentence management plans but are not deemed suitable for an Open Centre.
Prisoners who wish to be considered for a transfer to the Grove must meet a set of clearly defined criteria including inter alia, completion of all risk relevant interventions identified in their sentence plan, be drug free, be on enhanced regime and have no disciplinary reports for a period of 3 months prior to the date of anticipated placement within the Grove. This incentivisation of engagement augments sentence planning and better identifies a pathway of interventions to address dynamic risk factors known to be associated with sex offending. Their case must also be considered at a multi-disciplinary meeting prior to any transfer being approved.
It is the intention of the Irish Prison Service to continue to develop this pathway for prisoners convicted of a sexual offences, subject to its ongoing review.