Minister for Justice Michael McDowell has been accused of behaving disgracefully by failing to fulfil commitments that sex offenders would be given incentives to undergo treatment.
In strong public criticism of Mr McDowell, the Inspector of Prisons and Places of Detention, Mr Justice Dermot Kinlen, said the Minister and the chairman of the Parole Board, Dr Gordon Holmes, had engaged in a photo opportunity when they announced there would be incentives for sex offenders to undergo treatment courses.
Mr Justice Kinlen did not specify when the Minister had made such a promise. However, in 2005 the Minister announced at the launch of the Parole Board's annual report that prisoners who participated in prison rehabilitation programmes would have their sentences reduced under a new scheme.
Mr Justice Kinlen, whose role as the statutory inspector of prisons was confirmed only last month by the Minister, made his comments in his revisit inspection report into Arbour Hill Prison.
He said: "While it was a lovely photo opportunity, it has not happened. There is absolutely no incentive for anyone to undergo a course. It is disgraceful in this day and age that these two smiling gentlemen have not carried through on this promise.
"In fairness, it is not within the remit of the yet unstatutory Parole Board, but it is entirely within the remit of the Minister."
Mr Justice Kinlen said it was a matter of "grave concern" for him that the only sex offenders' course available for all the 200 sex offenders currently in Irish jail is in Arbour Hill, which has eight places.
He said there was "literally nothing" in the way of psychological assistance or programme for them in any other prison. He also pointed out that four prisons - Portlaoise, Castlerea, Loughan House and Shelton Abbey - do not have a psychologist.
The Department of Justice disputed that such incentives were not in place and said remission for taking up treatment programmes was included in last year's Criminal Justice Act.
A spokeswoman for the Prison Service said provision in the Act that allowed courts suspend or partially suspend a sentence if prisoners underwent treatment that would lessen their chances of reoffending were "being used across the ambit of offences including sex offences".
Mr Justice Kinlen described Arbour Hill as a well-run prison with a good relationship between staff and prisoners. However, he said, many sex offenders expressed fears that they would have problems living in the community after their sentences despite having paid their debt to society.
The visiting committee report into Mountjoy Prison recommended that ways be found to deactivate mobile phone signals and that more be done to stop drugs being smuggled in there.
The committee also expressed concern that staff shortages, which it labelled "institutional absenteeism", were seriously damaging services for prisoners.
The committee also said it was "extremely concerned" about the availability of drugs within Limerick prison, a situation that left prisoners at high risk of leaving the jail as drug addicts.
The St Patrick's Institution for Young Offenders was praised as being well run by a professional governor and staff, while the committee found the inmates in Loughan House to all be in a "good and contented manner".
