The criminal records of ex-offenders should be expunged after a certain time depending on the severity of the crime, according to the National Economic and Social Forum (NESF).
In a draft report on prisoner re-integration in society, the forum also recommends that the Employment Equality Act should be amended to include protection against discrimination on the grounds of a criminal record.
It calls on the Government to remove the ban on ex-offenders getting jobs in the civil and public service, depending on the seriousness of the offence and the rehabilitation of the offender. NESF includes the members of the social partnership and focuses on the implementation of equality and social inclusion policies.
Dr Maureen Gaffney, chairwoman of the forum, described the report as a radical document which recommends that re-integration of prisoners should be the primary objective and central focus of the prison service.
"Everything else will follow from that," she said. "And if we're truly serious about re-integration we have to take the next leap, once somebody has paid their debt to society." She said the "very first people to take the lead in this should be Government Departments". Dr Gaffney said State agencies spend vast amounts of money rehabilitating prisoners and attempting to re-integrate them, yet they are prohibited from State civil and public service jobs. She added that the Government should be setting an example for the private sector to encourage employers to take on ex-offenders.
A formal report on prisoner re-integration with more than 60 recommendations on all aspects of the prison service is to be published following a major discussion of the report yesterday. Those at the discussion included members of the forum and representatives of all State agencies and community and voluntary groups dealing with prisons and offenders.
Concern was expressed about the "political management of crime" by Mr Patrick O'Dea, IMPACT branch officer for the probation and welfare service. When prisoners reach the political arena, following serious acts of violence, "that's where the political management of crime tends to break down into traditional law and order". Then those dealing with prisoners, such as the welfare and probation service, are seen as "soft on crime".
Mr Billy Timmons, a Fine Gael TD and member of the forum, acknowledged that the failure of politicians "has been that they talk up crime because it is politically advantageous", whereas many people would prefer the "softly softly approach rather than the jackboot approach".
The director the prison service, Mr Sean Aylward, said there was a "hugely tabloid" treatment of crime and punishment in Irish society and this tended to lead to "swingeing" attitudes.
He said, however, that people should not get "too sentimental" about prisoners' rights because they were "phenomenally aware of their rights with some rare and sad exceptions".
Mr Martin Tansey, director of probation services, said it was only in the past three years that it had begun to receive real funding to deal with the whole area of after-care and this was beginning to have an impact.
He pointed out that in 1997 the service received £12 million and this year would receive £26 million. But, between 1985 and 1999 the net increase in probation service staff was 1.5 officers.
On the issue of daily prison routine, Father Peter McVerry, who deals with homeless youths, criticised prison regimes. He said inmates were locked up for 18 hours a day and not allowed to make decisions for themselves. Wheatfield prison was based on the best model available "but we have taken the best design and imposed the worst possible daily regime".
Ms Alice Leahy, of Trust, said that no matter what programmes were in place "not all people will be seen as successful in re-integration in society's eyes" and they "mustn't be seen as part of a prison business plan".
