Gay Mitchell
Ceist:73 Mr. G. Mitchell asked the Minister for Justice if he has any plans to reform the prison service; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Written Answers. - Prison Service Reform.
Reform in the prison service is an ongoing process. There have been significant changes in a number of areas of the service in recent years. Changes are being implemented in certain areas at present and I have plans for progress in other areas which will be announced in due course. It is not possible in the course of a reply to a parliamentary question to comment on all of the changes either recently implemented or in progress. However, I would like to refer to some of the more important developments.
The use of alternatives to custody has grown considerably, with about 3,000 offenders on alternatives of one kind or another, compared with approximately 2,100 in custody. Consideration is being given in my Department at present to options that may be open for the expansion of the existing range of alternatives or to make greater use of those already in place.
Late last year I established the Sentence Review Group to make recommendations to me concerning the administration of prison sentences for those who have been in prison for seven years or longer. This was, I believe, a very worthwhile initiative in the area of reform. I have received a number of recommendations from this group — many have been implemented and I am currently examining several others.
As I mentioned during the debate on the Criminal Law (Rape) (Amendment) Bill, 1988, last week, the Medical Director to the Prison Service took up duty last month. This appointment was a longstanding demand on which I have now taken successful action.
A number of important developments are in progress on the accommodation front. A major refurbishment of St. Patrick's Institution — including the Women's Prison — is in progress; provision of a new unit for those suffering from contagious diseases is well advanced and, as I have stated in reply to another question by Deputy De Rossa today, major advances are taking place in relation to in-cell sanitation for offenders.
The work of two very important groups which I have established is in progress also and will, I believe, make a major contribution towards improvement. One group is dealing with deaths in custody and the other with the problem of infectious diseases (including HIV infection).
What I have outlined are just some of the important developments that are currently taking place in prison reform.