Sir, - The Minister for Justice, Law and Equality is to be congratulated for the release of the report, "Imprisonment for Fine Default and Civil Debt". This report reveals that offenders in these particular circumstances do not have the capacity to pay fines and also are likely to have troubled backgrounds with life problems that overshadow their relatively minor fine offences. Not highlighted, however, is the actual number of people involved: just over one in six prisoners are in prison for fine defaulting. What injustice! What inefficiency!
From your paper (August 22nd), we now know that 12,629 criminal matters were dealt with last year for those under 16 and our penal system is clearly unable to cope.
Consider also the following connected truths. We have one of the most expensive prison systems in the world, with approximately €500 million spent in officer overtime last year. The ratio of officer to prisoner is also one of the highest in the world: over 1:1. It costs over €50,000 per year to house a prisoner. And almost 90% of prisoners appear to reoffend. Clearly, we have an exceptionally wasteful and inefficient prison system.
Minister McDowell has publicly promised to focus on the causes of crime. This is refreshing news. There is one obvious solution to addressing the scandals of our rising juvenile delinquency and exceptionally wasteful and ineffective prison system.
Render the prison system more financially efficient by making sure that prison is used as the last resort only and staff according to European standards only. Put the considerable resources that would be saved by doing this into a range of well-known preventative measures that are guaranteed to reduce juvenile delinquency.
In the interest of a safe society Minister McDowell needs to urgently start keeping his promise to us all. - Yours, etc.,
Dr VALERIE BRESNIHAN, Chairperson, The Irish Penal Reform Trust,
Dublin 4