Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 8 September 2022
1429. Deputy Violet-Anne Wynne asked the Minister for Justice the number of woman incarcerated in the State, by prison, in each year since 2018 to date in 2022; and the number serving sentences of ten or more years. [43391/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the Deputy will appreciate, judges are independent in the matter of sentencing, as in other matters concerning the exercise of judicial functions, subject only to the Constitution and the law. As a general rule, the court is required to impose a sentence which is proportionate not only to the crime but to the individual offender. In doing so, the Court identifies where on the sentencing range the particular case should lie and then applies any mitigating factors which may be present.
I recognise that imprisonment can be very impactful on female offenders and it is generally recognised that non-custodial penalties, particularly supervised community sanctions, play a significant and important role in addressing criminality, reducing reoffending and providing a degree of protection to the public. This is supported by Central Statistics Office figures on recidivism.
I recently published the Review of Policy Options for Prison and Penal Reform 2022-2024 and associated action plan. I am committed to the principle that adequate, appropriate and proportional punishment for those who commit crime is an essential and central element of our justice system, but core to our penal system is also the rehabilitation of offenders and their reintegration back in to society in order to reduce reoffending.
The guiding principle is clear that imprisonment should be used as a sanction of last resort for those who commit the most serious offences, typically those which justify a sentence of 12 months or longer, or individuals who the Courts determine cannot be managed safely in the community.
The proposals set out in the Review of Policy Options for Prison and Penal Reform 2022-2024 are there to help strengthen the options available to judges when they are considering cases, to facilitate the effective and efficient use of community sanctions by the courts, and to ensure that the courts have a wide range of appropriate options for dealing with people who have committed minor offences.
In particular, the review recommends that to deliver on the priority action to develop and expand the range of community based sanctions, including alternatives to imprisonment, that the following be explored and progressed:
- Further develop and expand the range of community sanctions including the development of diversity sensitive approaches to offenders including the Traveller community and other marginalised groups.
- Explore the efficacy and value of a Bail Supervision Scheme for female, young adult and other marginalised persons.
- Build on the joint Prison Service/Probation Service strategy “An Effective Response to Females who Offend” and incorporate the recently developed “Best Practice Approach”.
- Explore the feasibility of providing a structured rehabilitative response for women.
- Consider the introduction of weekend non-custodial sentences.
- Engage with CSO on further research to enhance understanding of the impact on reoffending of homelessness, addiction and/or mental health challenges and the availability of social and familial supports.
- Promote awareness and knowledge of the mutual recognition and possibility of transfer of community sanctions and measures between jurisdictions in the EU.
I can advise the Deputy that the specific information requested in relation to the number of woman incarcerated in the State by prison in each year since 2018 and the number of those serving sentences of ten or more year is provided in the 2 tables below.
For the Deputy's convenience, I can further advise that the Irish Prison Service collates and publishes the prisoner population breakdown, including those serving prison sentences, on a daily basis and this information is available on the Irish Prison Service website at www.irishprisons.ie.
Table 1 – Number of females committed during the period 2018 to date
|
Prison |
2018 |
2019 |
2020 |
2021 |
2022* |
|
Limerick Female |
205 |
185 |
158 |
128 |
105 |
|
Mountjoy Female |
561 |
709 |
398 |
359 |
304 |
|
Total |
766 |
894 |
556 |
487 |
409 |
Table 2 – Number of females serving sentences of 10 years or more during the period 2018 to date
|
Prison |
2018 |
2019 |
2020 |
2021 |
2022* |
|
Limerick Female |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
|
Mountjoy Female |
1 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
|
Total |
1 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
* Provisional figures which will be subject to slight change pending publication of Annual Report 2022
