Interventions for people in custody convicted of sexual offences


In 2009, the Sex Offender Management Policy: ‘Reducing Re-offending, Enhancing Public Safety’ was published. The policy aimed to bring about changes in offenders’ lives that reduced the risk of re-offending and enhance public protection.  It formed an integral part of the wider range of interventions by criminal justice and community-based agencies.  Within custody, the primary programme available was the ‘Building Better Lives’ Programme.

Following the emergence of updated research evidence, practice-based evidence, discussions with field experts, new Council of Europe recommendations, and the National Strategy on Domestic, Sexual and Gender-based Violence, the Irish Prison Service has developed a new model of intervention for people convicted of sexual offences. This model, called ‘New Chapters’, now offers a broad range of evidence-based treatment programmes to people in custody who are convicted of sexual offences. This model is delivered by a team of psychologists who have specific clinical training and expertise in the assessment and treatment of men convicted of a sexual offence, and offer a broad range of programmes targeting the needs, risks and strengths of people convicted of sexual offences.

Each programme in ‘New Chapters’ has been designed to help people to make positive changes in peoples’ lives, to address the known risk factors relevant to sexual offending, to reduce the risk of re-offending and prepare people for release. ‘New Chapters’ is currently operating in the Midlands and Arbour Hill Prisons, and additional programmes will be introduced on a phased basis in accordance with resource availability.