As the Deputy is aware I published the Report into the escape by the prisoner referred to on the 28th March 2012. As I stated, when publishing the Report, the decision to send this prisoner to Loughan House was wrong. At the time I instructed the Director General of the Irish Prison Service to take all the necessary steps to ensure that a mistake of this nature does not reoccur.
I have been informed by the Director General that measures have been taken to provide additional oversight in the decision making processes in order to ensure that such a decision cannot be made in the future. Where consideration is being given to the transfer of a prisoner serving a sentence for a homicide related offence to an open centre, the decision must now be made at Director level of the Irish Prison Service.
Open centres are an integral part of the rehabilitation process, in that they allow prisoners to experience a lower security environment prior to their release back into the community. In the case of prisoners coming to the end of long sentences, accommodation in an open centre can help mitigate the effects of institutionalisation. In general, the more relaxed visiting regime in open centres can have a positive effect in consolidating family supports.
Prisoners being considered for a transfer to an open centre are identified by a number of different means but primarily on the recommendation of the Prison Governor or the therapeutic services in the prisons. Before a final determination, a number of factors may be taken into account and I have set these out previously in my answer to written question no. 1004 on 18th April, 2012.
Prisoner review meetings are held on a regular basis in all prisons. At these reviews, the Governor and staff and all services involved in the sentence management of the prisoner offer their views and recommendations. This vital information allows for an informed decision on the prisoner's sentence management. All decision making staff and prison governors have been reminded of the need to take appropriate account of all the criteria to be applied to such decision making, in a balanced and considered manner.
