Vol. 475 No. 6
140 Ms O'Donnell asked the Minister for Justice the circumstances surrounding the early release of a woman prisoner from Mountjoy Prison after she had completed just one day of a year-long sentence imposed by a court; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5567/97]
Every administration in the history of the State has exercised the power to remit sentences and this is especially true of recent Governments including the one in which the Deputy's party was involved.
It is long-standing practice not to comment in detail on individual prisoners' cases and I do not intend to depart from this precedent on this occasion. I can, however, inform the Deputy that the individual in question was granted weekly temporary release by reference to the circumstances of her particular case subject to conditions which remain in force for the full duration of the sentence. In the event of a breach of any of these conditions at any time before the expiry of the sentence the individual may be immediately returned to custody.
There are often very good reasons — as there were in this case — for releasing offenders at a relatively early stage of a sentence where offenders may be suffering from drug addiction problems and may be in need of medical assistance which in certain circumstances can best be availed of in the community. There could be reasons associated with an offender's children or family circumstances. Overall, the question of whether continued incarceration or release into the community where the offender remains under supervision for the full duration of his or her sentence is a matter of judgment and requires careful and balanced consideration. A decision to release in these circumstances is often the correct one. Early releases from custody are frequently necessitated by a shortfall in prison places which has developed over the past ten years when, quite frankly, there was a failure to invest in necessary expansion of the prison system. Having examined the problem in comprehensive detail the Government has embarked on the largest prison building programme in modern Irish history. It will result in the creation of some 800 extra prison spaces by end 1998. Also I am continuing to search for any positive measures that can be taken, in the short term, to alleviate the pressure for early releases. Even when we have additional places, under the 1960 Act, the Minister for Justice will still have power to give temporary release. All such releases will continue to be vetted to ensure that any potential risk to the public is minimised. Temporary releases are generally limited to offenders serving relatively short sentences or those coming to the end of longer sentences. I am working to streamline and enhance the consultation procedures with Garda and other services prior to such temporary release.
