Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 22 October 2020
20. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Justice her plans to provide a women's open centre along the lines of Shelton Abbey or Loughan House for female prisoners on the grounds of equality; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30914/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraI am conscious that female offenders represent a particularly vulnerable group within the prison system and the Prison Service is acutely aware of the challenges that these vulnerable women face.
There is evidence that the impact of imprisonment is considerably greater on women and their wider families and as a result, modern prison facilities for women offenders are developed in a very different model from male prisons. In fact, as the Deputy will be aware, the Dóchas Centre, which accommodates the majority of female prisoners in Ireland, was purposely built and specifically designed for women. A particular focus of the design of the prison was to ensure that the women accommodated in the centre had access to a regime that mirrored, as much as possible, living in ordinary accommodation and thus supported the women's reintegration to society, which is a key objective of the prisons system.
The Deputy will wish to be aware that this issue was considered in the context of the Probation Service/Irish Prison Service joint Women Strategy 2014-2016, which sought to improve outcomes for women offenders. A joint working group between the two agencies recommended that the most practical and cost effective way to address the needs identified was to develop a step down facility for women. In this regard, the Probation Service and Irish Prison Service worked collaboratively towards the identification of a suitable venue for a women’s step down unit in Dublin, via a procurement process run by the Office of Government Procurement.
The Outlook facility, which is run by Focus Ireland, currently has capacity for nine women in single occupancy units, and took in their first client from the Dóchas Centre on 10 May 2019. The facility is fully occupied at present. The regime structure of the Dóchas Centre allows effectively for the women in custody to progress from their initial accommodation to more enhanced houses in the Dóchas Centre prior to progression to the Outlook step down accommodation facility, or to release, as appropriate.
In addition, as the Deputy will be aware, a contract was signed in February last year for a major redevelopment of Limerick Prison which includes the construction of a new prison facility for female prisoners.
The new accommodation block for women offenders in Limerick which will replace the use of the female wing at that prison. The design of the new facility is based on the principle of rehabilitation and normalisation reflecting contemporary design standards. A mix of accommodation units is being provided based around an external courtyard setting. The development will provide accommodation for 50 female prisoners and is scheduled for completion in the last quarter of 2021.
When open, this new facility will represent a complete change in the standard of accommodation and rehabilitative supports for all female prisoners and there are no current plans to provide an Open Centre for women.
