Publication of Irish Prison Service Annual Report 2008
The Director General of the Irish Prison Service Mr. Brian Purcell today published the Service's Annual Report for the year 2008. An overview of the key statistics contained in the report is attached below.
Speaking on its publication the Director General stated that “2008 saw an increase of 13.6% on the overall total number of committals to prison (13,557 in 2008 compared to 11,934 in 2007) and an almost 25% increase in the numbers of persons committed to prison under sentence (8,043 up from 6,455 in 2007).”
Prisoner Numbers
There has been a consistent increase in the total prisoner population over recent years. The snapshot of the prison population contained in the report published today points to an increase of almost 11% in the numbers of persons in custody on a given day in 2008 (3,695) compared to the same day in 2007. Today’s figure of 3,847 in custody shows a further increase of 4%. This is attributable to the increasing success of An Garda Síochána in prosecuting criminals and extra court sittings which have resulted in higher committal rates.
Capital Development
In order to cater for the increase in the number of persons being committed to prisons by the courts, the Irish Prison Service has been engaged in an extensive programme of investment in prisons infrastructure which involves both the modernisation of the existing estate and the provision of extra prison spaces. Significant progress was made in this regard in 2008 and as a result an additional 400 new prison spaces will be brought on stream this year.
In relation to the replacement of the Mountjoy Campus on a Greenfield site at Thornton Hall, North County Dublin, today’s report points to the progress made in this respect during the year in question. However, in May, 2009 the Irish Prison Service broke off negotiations with the Léargas Consortium, the preferred bidder in the competition to design, build, maintain and finance a major prison facility at Thornton in North County Dublin.
This decision was taken following a detailed evaluation by the Irish Prison Service and its advisers of the final financial offer from Léargas, which resulted in the offer being deemed to be not affordable in light of the significant increase in the cost of finance. The project was simply unaffordable at the price being quoted by Léargas and, in view of the current economic circumstances, a new project which reflects the current economic and fiscal realities was required.
In this regard, the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Mr. Dermot Ahern, T.D., brought a new proposal to Government in June, 2009. The revised plans for Thornton Hall prison aim to protect the taxpayers' interests while, at the same time, providing modern, regime focused and operationally efficient accommodation to replace the Mountjoy prison complex in the shortest possible timeframe.
It is intended that the new prison will be built on a phased basis. Phase one involves the provision of essential preliminary work required to facilitate the development such as the construction of a dedicated access route, services and perimeter wall. The preliminary works in phase one of the project will be procured on the basis of separate contracts to the main prison development. Work is expected to start on this phase early next year.
It is expected that an EU wide tender competition for the main prison buildings will also be launched next year. The objective is to complete the procurement process for the main prison buildings while the construction of phase one is underway thus enabling construction of the main prison buildings to commence immediately after contract award.
The construction of the main prison buildings should take no more than three years from the date of the signing of a contract. The new prison at Thornton will have a capacity of 1,400 in single occupancy cells but with operational flexibility to accommodate up to 2,080 prisoners, thus future proofing the development.
Other Significant Developments in 2008
Enhanced Security Measures
2008 witnessed a significant enhancement of security across the prison estate with the roll out of a package of security measures targeting the routes by which contraband such as drugs, weapons and mobile phones are trafficked into our prisons. The roll-out of the various elements commenced in May 2008 with the establishment of the Operational Support Group, comprising the Operational Support Unit, the Security Screening Unit and the Canine Unit. The introduction of these measures has proved a vital tool in ensuring the safety and security of prisoners and staff alike.
Mobile Phone Inhibition
The installation of a pilot scheme of technology to prevent the use of mobile phones in prisons was completed in Midlands Prison in November 2008. Evaluation of the inhibition system is proving very positive and it is intended to roll out the system to other closed prisons on a phased basis subject to resources.
The Director General also stated that he wished to take the opportunity of the publication of the Services Annual Report to thank the staff and management of the Service for their continued hard work, professionalism and dedication.
Note to Editors: Change in methodology used to calculate cost of providing a prison space
The average cost of providing a prison space in 2008 was €92,717. This represents an increase of 8.6% on the 2007 cost and is mainly due to National Pay Agreement increases.
The methodology used to calculate this cost was reviewed during the year and has changed from previous years. The revised cost for 2007 has been provided to aid comparison. The new methodology is of greater benefit in the financial management of the Service than the previous methodology as it facilitates the strategic measuring and comparing of costs across the prison estate.
Overview – 2008 statistics at a glance
There were 13,557 committals to prison in 2008 which is an increase of 13.6% on the 2007 total of 11,934.
10,928 persons were sent to prison in 2008 compared to 9,711 in 2007. 88.8% of committals were male and 11.2% female.
Committals during 2008
· There was an almost 25% increase in the numbers committed to prison under sentence in 2008 (8,043) over 2007 (6,455).
· The number of prisoners committed serving 10 years or more increased by 38.3% from 47 offenders in 2007 to 65 in 2008. This follows a 114% increase in this category 2007, i.e., from 22 in 2006 to 47 in 2007. The 2008 increase was mainly related to drug offences which showed an increase from 22 offenders in 2007 to 36 in 2008.
· Committals under sentence of less than 3 months increased by 1,233 or 54% over the 2007 figure (2,293 to 3,526).
· The number of committals to prison in 2008 for road traffic offences increased by 44% on the 2007 figure, i.e., from 1,564 in 2007 to 2,254 in 2008). 61% of sentences in this category were for less than 3 months.
· There was a considerable increase in the numbers committed for non-payment of a court ordered fine during 2008. This category increased by 88.7% on the 2007 figure - from 1,335 in 2007 to 2520 in 2008.
In 2008 there were 1,034 committals in respect of immigration issues involving 961 detainees. This represents a decrease of 16% on the 1,145 persons detained in 2007.
· 759 of those committals, or 73%, were for less than 8 days.
· The average daily number of persons in custody in this category was 17.
Snapshot of prison population on 5 December 2008
· The snapshot showed an increase of almost 11% in the number of persons in custody (3,695) on the 2007 figure (3,334).
· Almost 72% of the sentenced prisoners in custody on 5 December 2008 were serving sentences of 2 years or more.
· There were 275 persons serving sentences for sexual offences, a 16% increase on the 2007 figure of 237.
· The number of persons serving sentences for drug offences (567) was 20% higher than in 2007 (472).
· 50 offenders were serving sentences of less than 3 months representing 1.3% of the prison population.
· There were 32 persons in prison for non-payment of debt or fines which represents 0.86% of the prison population.
The average cost of providing a prison space in 2008 was €92,717. This was an increase of €7,355 or 8.6% on the 2007 cost and this is mainly due to National Pay Agreement increases.
Press Officer
Irish Prison Service
14 August, 2009
For further information please contact:
043 3335203
087 6674284
pressoffice@irishprisons.ie
Irish Prison Service Annual Report 2008
Irish Prison Service
IDA Business Park,
Ballinalee Road, Longford,
Co. Longford
+353 43 3335100 Fax: +353 43 3335101
Email: info@irishprisons.ie
www.irishprisons.ie
|
