Scores of European Union citizens held on remand in Irish prisons could be sent back to their home countries under a draft EU law published yesterday.
The legislation is intended to boost the rights of suspects in less serious criminal cases and save European taxpayers millions of euro in prison costs.
Under the proposal, EU citizens arrested on suspicion of committing a crime in another member-state could be transferred from the prison where they are being held to their home country under supervision orders. Such orders typically involve reporting to the police regularly and a ban on travel instead of being remanded in custody until a trial takes place.
A total of 74 EU citizens are on remand in Irish prisons, including 26 Lithuanian and 11 Polish nationals. The annual cost of housing a prisoner at Ireland's main remand prison, Cloverhill, was €84,400 in 2005.
A report published by the European Commission yesterday shows that it cost Irish taxpayers €76,128 to detain a suspect in prison in 2003. This amounted to the highest cost per person of all 10 EU states surveyed and was more than double the average detention cost in Europe, which was €36,996.
A commission spokesman said that the new proposal would counter discrimination against non-resident EU suspects, who are more likely than domestic suspects to be placed on remand rather than be subject to supervisory orders. The draft law would also save money and make room for more serious criminals in Europe's already overcrowded jails, he added.
It is estimated that 10,000 EU nationals are placed on remand in jails in EU states other than their home countries each year. About 8,000 of these suspects could benefit from the proposed legislation, but it would not apply to suspects accused of serious crimes such as rape or murder.
The proposed EU legislation could also benefit a handful of Irish suspects who are awaiting trial in other EU states. The Department of Foreign Affairs said that 70 Irish citizens were in prisons abroad, although this figure did not include several hundred imprisoned in Britain.
The draft legislation must be agreed by member-states before it can enter into law.
A Government spokesman said yesterday that the proposal would be studied in detail before a firm position was taken on whether to support it.
Prisoners: cost of remand
Country ... Per person per year (euro)
Ireland €76,128
Sweden €72,270
Netherlands €69,000
Finland €42,000
Britain €36,473
Italy €32,400
Germany €24,000
Czech Republic €10,537
Lithuania €3,984
Latvia €3,168
Average: €36,996
Source: European Commission