Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 15 Nov 2000

Vol. 526 No. 1

Written Answers. - Sex Offenders.

Róisín Shortall

Ceist:

103 Ms Shortall asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the number of prisoners currently serving custodial sentences for sexual offences; the number of such prisoners currently on dedicated treatment programmes; the steps being taken to increase the number of such prisoners on rehabilitation programmes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25771/00]

Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform (Mr. O'Donoghue)

There were 356 convicted sex offenders in custody in Irish prisons on the week ending 10 November 2000.

Public discussion and commentary about the issue of the treatment of sex offenders frequently implies that the dedicated sex offender treatment programme in Arbour Hill prison is the only form of rehabilitation programme in place for sex offenders in Irish prisons and that it reaches a very limited number of prisoners annually. This is incorrect.

There are actually four forms of direct therapeutic intervention available to sex offenders within the Irish prison system at present. All four are aimed at enabling such offenders gain some measure of control over their offending behaviour.

The first intervention method is individual counselling from the Department's psychology service and from the Probation and Welfare Service. This is a largely demand-led service to individual prisoners who ask for help.

The second intervention is a multidisciplinary thinking skills group work programme which focuses on issues such as anger management, evasion of personal responsibility and relapse prevention. This programme is in place in Cork prison and Arbour Hill prison since 1998 and has recently been introduced in the Curragh place of detention.

The third intervention which tends to receive most media coverage is the extremely intensive offence focused group work programme which is available in Arbour Hill prison and which is delivered by officers of the probation and welfare and psychology services of the Department. This programme can cater for up to ten offenders at one time and takes ten to eleven months to complete. The emphasis is on accepting personal responsibility for the offence and developing effective relapse prevention strategies for each offender. All convicted sex offenders, regardless of the institution in which they are held, are invited to apply for inclusion in this programme. A second programme will be introduced in the Curragh place of detention by the end of this month.

The fourth intervention which perhaps deserves greater acknowledgement involves the psychiatric service which provides extensive support to prisoners in this category. This is done on a sessional basis, and a call-out basis as well as in response to particular individual crises.

Ten prisoners are undertaking the dedicated treatment programme, referred to above, in Arbour Hill prison. While it is not possible to accurately quantify participation, many of the sex offenders in custody at present are availing of one or more of the forms of intervention referred to above.

I have asked the director general of the Irish Prisons Service to ensure that the treatment of sex offenders throughout the prison system is given priority attention. A working group chaired by the Director General and comprising representatives of all the relevant agencies and prison disciplines is currently overseeing the introduction of a number of interventions for sex offenders in the Curragh place of detention which accommodates approximately 100 sex offenders.

A thinking skills programme has already been introduced in the Curragh place of detention and, as previously stated, an intensive sex offenders group treatment programme, drawing particularly on successful offender participants in the thinking skills programme will be introduced there before the end of this month.

A steering group to put in place multidisciplinary prisoner programmes has also been established by the director general of the Prisons Service. This group, chaired by a senior prison governor, comprises representatives from the Department, senior prisons service management, Probation and Welfare Service, psychology service, prisons education and the Prison Officers Association. Its first task will be to oversee the establishment of a new intensive rehabilitative programme for sex offenders. This programme will be delivered by a multidisciplinary team consisting of prison officers, psychologists, probation and welfare staff and teachers. To this end the Irish Prison Service has recruited the services of a research psychologist to assist in the development of this programme. This work is expected to be completed in the new year.

I would also like to draw the Deputy's attention to the recent annual conference of the Psychological Society of Ireland in Portumna. Both the thinking skills programme and the dedicated sex offender treatment programme in Arbour Hill prison were the subject of discussion by the delegates. Independent researchers reported that both programmes were being delivered very effectively and had an measurable impact on the offenders participation. The studies in question are currently being prepared for publication.

The ultimate objective for the Irish Prisons Service is to develop and put in place a wider range of rehabilitation programmes for sex offenders than are currently available, to ensure they operate on independently accredited selection, training and service methods and that they reach every sex offender in custody who is willing to participate at some level in their personal rehabilitation and relapse prevention. The latter point about willingness by prisoners convicted of sex offences to co-operate in personal rehabilitation programmes is significant because it is the experience in many prison jurisdictions including Ireland that a significant percentage of prisoners decline the opportunity to partake in this work. Compulsion is not a realistic or indeed legal option in such cases.