Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 21 Oct 2003

Vol. 572 No. 6

Written Answers. - Sexual Offences.

Seán Power

Ceist:

358 Mr. S. Power asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the percentage of the current prison population serving sentences for sexual offences; the number who have taken part or are taking part in treatment programmes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24250/03]

Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform (Mr. McDowell)

As of 21 October 2003, there were 298 prisoners serving sentences for sexual offences. This represents approximately 11% of the sentenced prison population. As has been outlined to the House on a number of occasions, there are four forms of direct therapeutic intervention available to sex offenders within the Irish prison system at present. These are: individual counselling from the Irish Prisons Service's psychology service and from the probation and welfare service; the multidisciplinary thinking skills group work programme in Cork Prison, Arbour Hill Prison and the Curragh Place of Detention; the sex offender programme, which has been in operation in Arbour Hill Prison since 1994 and was introduced in the Curragh Place of Detention in 2000; and the psychiatric service which provides some support to prisoners in this category.

Every effort is made to assist sex offenders in custody who are willing to participate at any level in their personal rehabilitation and relapse prevention. While it is not possible to quantify with absolute accuracy participation in all forms of rehabilitation, many of those in custody for sex offences have availed of one or more of the forms of intervention referred to above.

In most years, 16 offenders are recruited to the sex offender programme – eight in Arbour Hill Prison and eight in the Curragh Place of Detention. An average of 48 offenders are recruited to the thinking skills course in each year – 16 in Arbour Hill Prison, 16 in Cork Prison and 16 in the Curragh Place of Detention.

The number of offenders undergoing one-to-one counselling is difficult to define because of the varied nature of individual counselling provided to sex offenders in prison. This counselling can vary from one session addressing a particular problem to intensive ongoing counselling. One of the main aims of individual counselling of sex offenders is to motivate them to address their offending behaviour. In response to such counselling, many offenders, who initially might deny responsibility for their crime or deny any need for treatment, are motivated towards some process of change. For some offenders this results in them undertaking the sex offender treatment programme at Arbour Hill Prison or the Curragh Place of Detention, for others it results in sustained individual therapy around their offending or engagement in some other programme available in the prison system such as, for example, the thinking skills course, group skills programme, etc.