The Cabinet is to discuss a major package of anti-crime measures when it meets to discuss Minister for Justice Michael McDowell's series of amendments to the Criminal Justice Bill.
Ministers will be asked to approve the introduction of anti-social behaviour orders (Asbos) and will discuss measures including electronic tagging and mandatory minimum sentences for certain firearms offences.
Mr McDowell outlined a series of proposed reforms aimed at eliminating drugs in Irish prisons
The legislation, which will be brought before the Oireachtas in the coming months, will introduce other new criminal offences, including the supply of drugs to a prisoner and attacking a member of the emergency services.
Mr McDowell outlined a series of proposed reforms aimed at eliminating drugs in Irish prisons yesterday.
They include mandatory drug tests, sniffer-dog searches and "closed visits" for certain prisoners, where they have no physical contact with their visitors.
Some of the reforms, which will be enacted from early next year, are included in the legislation coming before the Cabinet today - such as allowing judges to set earlier release dates or partially suspend sentences if prisoners successfully address an addiction problem.
A number of the other measures contained in today's proposed legislation were already outlined by Mr McDowell earlier this year following criticism that the Government was failing to tackle criminal gang activity, despite a series of operations by gardaí in the last 12 months.