Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 8 July 2021
103. Deputy Jennifer Carroll MacNeill asked the Minister for Justice the supports that are provided for prisoners, such as educational and employment supports; the number of prisoners availing of these supports in recent years; if there are plans to increase and expand the supports; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36552/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the Deputy is aware, the Irish Prison Service provides a wide range of rehabilitative supports and services to prisoners. These include education, employment, work training, healthcare, psychiatric, psychological, counselling, welfare and chaplaincy services which are intended to provide purposeful activity and to encourage and equip individuals to lead law-abiding lives on release. I am pleased to say that these services are available in all prisons.
The current Irish Prison Service three year Strategic Plan commits to continuing and expanding these supports, including a increased use of digital technologies.
Education in prisons is delivered with a focus on providing a service which is quality assured, student centred and which facilitates lifelong learning. To this end broad and flexible options are offered, ranging from basic literacy training right up to third level courses.
In addition, a wide range of work and training services are available. Work Training Officers have been appointed and assigned to areas such as catering, laundry, industrial cleaning, industrial skills and gym. Accredited courses have been expanded with City and Guilds and the Guild of Cleaners and Launderers and with Cleanpass to ensure a wide range of certified training is provided.
In terms of education participation figures, I am advised that 31.8% (or 1,192 persons) of the average prison population engaged in education activities in the month of February 2017.
In 2018 these figures were 40.6% (or 1,161 persons) and the figure was 42.4% (or 1,325 persons) in February 2020.
While this was rising encouragingly year on year, the impact of COVID over the past year has unfortunately seen this fall to just over 25% (or 957 persons) of the average prison population in May 2021. As the Deputy will appreciate, classroom-based activity has been severely constrained during Covid.
It is worth noting that the numbers who applied for Open University Courses was up. 71 students were funded by the Prison Service to participate in Open University courses in 2020, a significant increase on the average number of 50 students per year prior to that.
Nearly 20% (or 708 persons) of the average prison population engaged in vocational training in April 2021. This figure was 22% (or 838 persons) in February 2020.
In addition, the Prison Service, in partnership with the Irish Association for Social Inclusion Opportunities, assists sentenced prisoners to identify their job and education readiness and to prepare them for release. In 2019, the Association received 806 referrals and a further 414 in 2020.
The Deputy will be interested to note that the ‘Working to Change’ Social Enterprise and Employment Strategy, which was launched in November 2020, further increases employment options for people. It encompasses actions under three pillars: social enterprise, employment, and self-employment. It sets out 46 actions and ambitious targets and is overseen by a Steering Committee which is representative of the criminal justice sector as well as other relevant Departments and Agencies. One important action in the Strategy under the general employment stream, commits to working with industry experts to ensure employment focused training and up-skilling measures, offered throughout criminal justice agencies, are responsive and aligned to the identified skills gaps within the labour market.
Connected to this Strategy, the Deputy will also be aware of the ongoing work within my Department to reform our spent convictions legislation. Under the Justice Plan 2021, my Department is working to take forward the Programme for Government commitment to review the Criminal Justice (Spent Convictions and Certain Disclosures) Act 2016 to broaden the range of convictions that are considered spent. I believe that this work will greatly assist and offer opportunities to individuals who have demonstrated that they wish to move away from offending and into employment by offering them an important ‘second chance’.
