THE visiting committee of Shanganagh Castle open prison has expressed frustration at its inability to do serious rehabilitation work with young offenders.
The Co Dublin prison is being used purely as an overflow facility for St Patrick's, the committee complains in its annual report. As a result there is a high incidence of absconding.
"In 1995, the absconding rate rose by 50 per cent, in 1996 it was up a further 25 per cent." And, it adds, "the revolving door syndrome, which results in an average stay of those sent to Shanganagh of approximately six weeks, means that a large proportion of the excellent educational facilities are almost completely wasted.
It costs the taxpayer £894, per week to keep a person in prison. The least one might expect from this expenditure is a serious at tempt at rehabilitation of at least the juvenile offenders.
The committee pleads for the use of the prison by St Patrick's, to be brought to an end. Otherwise, it warns, "the return on this astronomical sum will simply be to lock up offenders for a short period and then send them back out without any long term educational and other resources to help them to stay out of trouble even though the resources to accomplish this are freely available at Shanganagh.
It complains that it is not compulsory for inmates to attend educational classes. "If they can be obliged to do certain work around the Castle or obliged to do things at specific times of the day then we cannot see the problem of obliging them to attend educational classes as part of their daily routine."
The committee calls for a change in the law to enable judges to send young male offenders direct to Shanganagh "based on their own discretion and advice from gardai, social workers and probation officers.
"Length of sentences should be based on an educational module and seen not as a retributive prison sentence but as a rehabilitative term of confinement."
Limerick Prison is "still almost drugfree," according to the latest report from that jail's visiting committee. The committee said its "indepth inquiries" had determined this, and it complimented the management and staff.