Press Release: Justice     5 May 2006

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Green Party calls for McDowell to invest in rehabilitation and education of offenders

- following damning criticism from the Inspector of Prisons

The Green Party has called for the Minister for Justice, Michael McDowell TD, to take immediate action to address the complete inadequacy of the Irish prison system. The call follows the damning comments made by the Inspector of Prisons, Mr Justice Dermot Kinlen, in an interview with RTÉ today, in which he described the prison system in Ireland as a "total failure".

Green Party Justice spokesperson Ciarán Cuffe TD said: "Justice Kinlen's remarks are a damning indictment of the way in which our prison system is currently run. Overcrowding, inadequate sanitation facilities and the day-to-day breaches of prisoner's human rights are all unacceptable features of the Irish prison system today.
"In particular, it is extremely demoralising to note that 18 training and educational programmes for young offenders in St. Patrick's Institution have been terminated and will not be replaced. The onus is on the Minister for Justice to take action and invest in training and education programmes for prisoners, especially for young offenders who deserve to have the opportunity to equip themselves for life outside prison. The Minister for Justice must place rehabilitation at the heart of our prison system," he concluded.