Kathleen Lynch
Ceist:28 Kathleen Lynch asked the Minister for Justice the current number of prison counsellors; the plans, if any, she has to expand the prison counselling services; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18909/95]
Written Answers. - Prison Counsellors.
There are a number of services available in the prison system where prisoners can avail of counselling, i.e. the psychology service, the probation and welfare service, the chaplaincy service and, of course, a number of voluntary groups with which prisoners may have contact.
The psychology service comprises six psychologists to provide a clinical service to the prisons. This service specially targets a number of offender groups within the prison system, i.e.
—juvenile offenders
—HIV positive offenders
—sex offenders who require specialised treatment
—female offenders
—difficult, disruptive and dangerous offenders
—offenders who represent a known suicidal risk and
—offenders serving very long sentences.
The psychology service also provides counselling to prison staff who have been subjected to traumatic events in the course of their work.
There is a total of 27 probation and welfare officers and six senior probation and welfare officers providing a service to the prisons. Their duties include counselling offenders, helping them cope with personal and domestic problems, guiding them towards services within and outside the prisons which will assist them to cope with specific problems, such as substance addiction, encouraging contact with families and volunteers from the community, helping them generally to cope with their sentences, preparing them for eventual release, and very often putting in train arrangements in the community to help them re-integrate.
The probation and welfare service, in conjunction with the psychology service, is involved in the delivery of specialised counselling by way of a sex offender treatment programme.
There are at present nine full-time and seven part-time chaplains working in the prison service. Their work involves extensive counselling of offenders, not just in spiritual matters but in everyday human activity — helping them to cope with personal and family traumas, helping some of them deal with suicidal tendencies, and helping them to adapt to prison life.
The above services are complimented by a number of voluntary groups with whom prisoners may have contact, e.g. the Samaritans, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul and Alcoholics Anonymous. The question of expanding the prison counselling services is a matter which will have to be examined in the context of the Government's overall staffing policy.