Irish penal policy is at a crossroads
PENAL policy in Ireland is at a crossroads and it is time to debate the future of the prison system in the wake of the collapse of plans to build Ireland's largest prison at Thornton Hall.
That is the view of the Irish Penal Reform Trust (IPRT) who have stood opposed to the super-prison plans from the beginning.
The IPRT believes that the decision to rethink Thornton Hall is an opportunity to conduct a general review of the emphasis of spending within the criminal justice system away from building prisons towards crime prevention and supporting communities with the resources to address the underlying causes of crime. ' We welcome the statement of the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform that his department will be looking at wider questions about diverting certain categories of offenders away from detention in formulating an alternative plan to replace the current Thornton Hall plans,' Liam Herrick, Executive Director of IPRT, said. A key recommendation from the organisation is that any planning for prison building must be framed in the context of a wider plan regarding the proper use of imprisonment and the appropriate use of alternatives to custody.
Mr Herrick said: 'During the economic boom, the focus of criminal justice policy has been on building more and more prisons with the number of prisoners increasing from 2,180 in 1990 to over 3,800 today (an increase of 74%).
' This expansion of our prison system has been hugely expensive and has not had a measurable impact on reducing crime.'
- John MANNING
