Vol. 475 No. 6
13 Miss Quill asked the Minister for Justice the efforts, if any, that have been made to recapture those persons who failed to return to prison after Christmas having been on temporary release; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5481/97]
70 Mr. Nolan asked the Minister for Justice the number of prisoners currently unlawfully at large from prisons in the State compared with the number of prisoners unlawfully at large in each of the past three years. [5464/97]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 13 and 70 together.
I think it best to begin by explaining what is meant by the term "unlawfully at large". The Criminal Justice Act, 1960, under which most offenders are granted temporary release, provides that an offender who breaches a condition of his temporary release is deemed to be "unlawfully at large". The breach, however, may be of a relatively minor technical nature, such as failing to sign on at the correct time or failing to reside at a particular location. Only a very small proportion would be escapees from a closed institution or a prison escort.
As of Monday, 24 February 1997, the total cumulative number of persons classed as unlawfully at large was 1,323. The corresponding figure for 23 February 1996 was 1,243. On 4 September 1995, the earliest date in respect of which this information is available, the figure was 1,020. The number of offenders who failed to return from temporary release at Christmas and who remained at large on 25 February 1997, was 23.
All instances where offenders fail to return to their institution following a period of temporary release, or abscond or escape are immediately reported to the gardaí who may arrest such individuals without warrant and return them to custody. Offenders in this category, some of whom may have been at large for some time, are regularly returned to the prisons by the gardaí. These procedures apply equally to all offenders who are at large, including those who failed to return at Christmas 1996.
