Ahern Announces New Policy for Managing Sex Offenders in Prison - Sex Offender Management Policy – Reducing Re-offending, Enhancing Public Safety
The Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Mr Dermot Ahern, T.D., today announced a new policy on the management of sex offenders in prison.
The policy is aimed at bringing about changes in offenders’ lives that reduces risk of re-offending and enhances public protection. It forms an integral part of the wider range of interventions by criminal justice and community-based agencies.
Speaking at the announcement of the policy, the Minister said "This policy reinforces commitments to meeting the concerns of victims and the general public as regards sex offenders. It will enhance public safety by ensuring that, while in prison, sex offenders will participate in therapeutic interventions relevant to their needs and risks. It is designed to ensure, as far as possible, that higher risk sex offenders will not simply serve out their sentences without engaging with relevant services."
The main innovations in the policy are:
• New initiatives to increase the range and availability of therapeutic interventions in prison and increase participation rates and effectiveness;
• Greater emphasis on individual assessments and integrated sentence planning and on offenders with higher need and risk profiles;
• Establishment of a National Centre at Arbour Hill Prison with a full range of interventions and an increase in the number of sex offenders accommodated in the prison;
• Accommodation of sex offenders also in two Satellite Centres (the Midlands and Wheatfield Prisons) where a narrower range of interventions will be available;
• Transfer of offenders into and out of the National Centre in accordance with sentence planning, demand for interventions and security imperatives;
• Establishment of a Sex Offender Unit in the Prison Service Headquarters to monitor sentence planning and liaise with other criminal justice agencies;
• Greater emphasis on the transition from prison to community.
A new programme of group interventions, entitled "Building Better Lives", is being introduced in Arbour Hill Prison. The programme comprises three modules:
• exploratory open groups ("Exploring Better Lives"),
• practice open groups ("Practising Better Lives"), and
• maintenance groups ("Maintaining Better Lives").
The first group – "Exploring Better Lives" – commenced in January 2009. The other groups will be introduced during the year. The suite of group interventions replaces the Sex Offender Programme initiated in 1994 and concluded last year.
Individual therapeutic interventions will meanwhile continue both in Arbour Hill Prison and in the Satellite Centres.
The group interventions are estimated to reach about 60 prisoners in a full year. This level of intervention will ensure that, when the programme is fully operational, all sex offenders who are serving sentences of at least one year and who are willing and suitable to engage with the therapeutic services will be able to avail of interventions.
Initiatives to improve offender participation rates include motivational work, marketing of programmes and regime enhancements. Prisoners unwilling to engage will be transferred out of Arbour Hill Prison to make way for other prisoners.
For suitable prisoners in the latter stages of their sentence, the policy envisages that consideration will be given to transfers to open prisons and, possibly, periods of supervised early release. Such temporary release would be subject to strict conditions, including participation in appropriate community-based interventions and, potentially, electronic monitoring. These measures constitute strong incentives to participate in interventions but, equally important, they can play a vital role in helping offenders reintegrate in their communities after imprisonment. Decisions in individual cases will take full account of the concerns of victims where known.
The Minister added "This policy forms an integral part of wider criminal justice policies designed to ensure a joined-up approach by the Irish Prison Service, the Probation Service and An Garda Síochána, working with community-based agencies, in supporting convicted sex offenders to reintegrate into society and reduce the risk of further offending. It builds on themes developed in my Department’s Discussion Document "The Management of Sex Offenders" and will be consistent with recommendations that emerge from the on-going consultation on that document."
A phased approach to implementation is envisaged. The initial transfer of prisoners in and out of Arbour Hill Prison will take place over several months.
The Minister concluded "As I said in January when I launched the Discussion Document, I want to proceed in addressing these issues as quickly as possible and my officials are examining how best to implement the key recommendations in a timely fashion."
The new policy document is available on the website of the Irish Prison Service (www.irishprisons.ie).
22 April 2009
Note for editors:
The Minister published a report "The Management of Sex Offenders – a Discussion Document" on 27 January 2009. The report is available on the Department’s website www.justice.ie. Written submissions were invited and can be addressed to Offender Management Group, Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform, 3rd Floor, Montague Court, Montague Street, Dublin 2 to arrive by 30 April, 2009 or can be emailed to offendermanagementgroup@justice.ie.