27th June 2024
The Interagency Group for a Fairer and Safer Ireland has published its Annual Report for 2023 on 27 June 2024.
The main purpose of the Group is to implement two key recommendations of the Penal Policy Review Group Report, which call for much greater cross-government cooperation in the management and rehabilitation of offenders and crime prevention in general.
Some points included in the Interagency Group for a Fairer and Safer Ireland Annual Report for 2023 include the following:
The consultation process for the National Access Plan identified three main Priority Groups, with much intersectionality between them. One of these – students who are socioeconomically disadvantaged – comprises students from a wide variety of backgrounds, including those with experience of the Criminal Justice system. As there is currently no official data available to describe or track the educational attainment and progress of students who have experience of the Criminal Justice system, a priority under this Plan is to consider ways to collect more reliable data of this nature.
Clara Leonard of HSE and Clare Healy of Ana Liffey Drug Project gave an update on the Dublin North East Inner City Healthcare Navigation Service project for prisoners post-release. The Service aims to work with a caseload of 20 people at any given time. For the pilot programme, referrals are taken from Mountjoy Prison and the Dóchas Centre. A clear and precise healthcare plan is developed with service users pre-release, with healthcare needs identified. Social supports within the community are pinpointed, while engagement with peer mentors is encouraged pre- and post-release. There were some barriers to progress which they have had to overcome, such as the existing heavy workload of prison staff and identifying and communicating with the appropriate contacts.
The Department of Justice, with its services and partners, including the Probation Service, is seeking to address the significant homelessness and accommodation challenges evident among people in the criminal justice system to enable them to make choices that help them live productive and rewarding lives in their communities. The IAG, given the breadth of membership and the terms of reference of the group, was identified as an appropriate group to progress this work. A subgroup of the IAG will be established to aid the progression of the research.
Read the full Interagency Group for a Fairer and Safer Ireland Annual Report for 2023.
Respect for rights in the penal system with prison as a last resort.