Batt O'Keeffe
Ceist:59 Mr. B. O'Keeffe asked the Minister for Justice if she has satisfied herself with the new controls exercised at Shelton Abbey in Wicklow. [17379/96]
Written Answers. - Open Prisons Operation.
John O'Donoghue
Ceist:80 Mr. O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Justice whether she has satisfied herself with the criteria applied when deciding upon the transfer of a prisoner from a closed prison to an open institution; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18407/96]
Batt O'Keeffe
Ceist:245 Mr. B. O'Keeffe asked the Minister for Justice if she has satisfied herself with the method of selecting personnel for accommodation at Shelton Abbey. [17380/96]
I propose to take Question Nos. 59, 80 and 245 together.
I should explain that in almost every comparable jurisdiction, a certain proportion of offenders are accommodated in open institutions similar to Shelton Abbey.
While there is a lesser emphasis on security in Shelton Abbey than in the closed institutions, there are very good reasons for this. An element of trust is crucial to the successful operation of even the most secure prison in the State. In the case of offenders who are serving longer sentences in closed prisons, it is long-standing policy to build on this trust on a gradual basis leading eventually, in suitable cases, to a transfer to a low security environment, such as Shelton Abbey. Several other categories of offender for whom a closed prison environment is neither desirable nor necessary also benefit from the availability of such institutions.
There are a number of safeguards in place to prevent incidents such as the absconding of offenders from Shelton Abbey and the other open centres. All inmates are monitored on a daily basis and some are, from time to time, for various reasons including security related ones, returned to closed prisons. The risk of absconding is, of course, a major consideration in the selection of offenders for open centres. Other factors include the nature of the offence, the length of sentence left to serve and the individual offender's compatibility with the regime.
Notwithstanding the above, it is regrettably the case that some offenders do, occasionally, abscond from open centres. This, however, must be kept in context. The vast majority of offenders who transfer to Shelton Abbey complete their sentences without incident and this is testament to the overall integrity of the regime there and to the prisoner selection process. Any practical suggestions to ensure better security are always thoroughly examined.