Dáil Éireann Debate, Monday - 11 September 2023
1169. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Justice for an update on the progress report in relation to the mental health and addiction challenges of people interacting with the criminal justice system; when this is due to the published; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38329/23]
View answerThe Programme for Government commits to considering the mental health and addiction treatments of persons imprisoned and primary care support on release. This commitment reflects the fact that the healthcare needs of vulnerable, sometimes seriously ill, people who interact with the criminal justice system are complex and require whole of systems consideration and urgent action.
The overall report and recommendations of the High Level Task Force established to consider the mental health and addiction challenges of those who come into contact with the criminal justice sector were published in September 2022.
The recommendations of the Task Force aim to ensure better support for people at the earliest point at which they come into contact with the criminal justice system and to divert them away from it where possible, while supporting them in their rehabilitation from addiction and in the recovery and management of their illness. Further, the recommendations seek to address the question of better support for prisoners in their rehabilitation when justice requires a prison sentence, and that progress made in prison is not lost after release.
It is recognised that the report and the recommendations are ambitious and that this is what is required to significantly reform the way in which our criminal justice and health systems support and accommodate people with mental health and addiction challenges. It is also recognised that in light of the cross-cutting nature of the recommendations, cross-Government commitment is crucial to successful implementation.
Let me assure the Deputy that my Department is committed to working with colleagues in the Department of Health to advance these reforms.
As the Deputy will be aware, the implementation plan published alongside the final report assigns ownership for each of the recommendations and their expected delivery time-frames. The plan recognises that some recommendations can be achieved quickly (within the next 18 months), while others require a longer lead-in time and are accordingly allocated medium-term (within the next 3 years) or long-term (within the next 5 years) timeframes.
Officials in my Department, in conjunction with colleagues in the Department of Health, are currently preparing a progress report on the High Level Task Force report recommendations for the Minister for Health and I. This will outline the progress made since the High Level Task Force report was published last September. My officials expect to have prepared this progress report in the next month with a view to presenting it to both Ministers in October.
