MEASURES AIMED at reducing the risk of reoffending by sex offenders are under consideration in the Department of Justice, according to the Minister, Dermot Ahern.
A pilot project for electronic tagging has been introduced and 10 prisoners have been released with electronic tags and are being monitored, he said. If this is found to work, it will be extended.
The programme follows a consultation process and submissions from the public. A document was produced, however, it has not been published as it contained some recommendations he did not agree with, Mr Ahern said, particularly one which recommended the temporary release of sex offenders.
Speaking at the publication of the annual report of the Parole Board, Mr Ahern was unwilling to discuss in detail the case of rapist Larry Murphy, released last month, but he said there were legal problems with changing the conditions relating to remission.
He pointed out that under a 2001 law the courts could impose post-release conditions on sex offenders, but this only applied to those sentenced after that date.
Changing the conditions for remission could lead to different regimes for different prisoners, he said, which would be unworkable.
He stressed that to be effective, participation in programmes aimed at changing sex offending behaviour had to be voluntary.
If a person was forced to participate it would not only not work for that individual, but would be disruptive to those genuinely attending the programme. Referring to the issue of remission, he said other jurisdictions had more generous remission of sentences than Ireland did, and this could give rise to problems when prisoners were transferred to serve their sentences closer to their homes, as it could lead, in the case of the UK, to them serving a shorter sentence.
Chairman of the Parole Board Gordon Holmes said its work increased last year, with more prisoners being referred to it.
The board was set up in 2001 to review the cases of prisoners with longer-term sentences and to provide advice in relation to the administration of those sentences.
It can recommend the temporary release of those serving long sentences, including life. Only those serving sentences of eight years or more are eligible for consideration by the board.
He said the board conducted 58 interviews last year compared to 33 the previous year. The total number of cases before the board in 2009 was 230, and the board made recommendations to the Minister in 88 cases.
Pointing to the difference in the remission regime between Ireland and the UK, he said this meant initial sentences appeared longer in the UK, but in practice there was little difference in sentencing practice between the two jurisdictions.
Referring to the debate about crimes committed on temporary release, he said that last year only one person on temporary release, following a recommendation by the board, had transgressed again.