Over 2,000 former prisoners have been helped back into the working community thanks to a reintegration programme, it was revealed today.
The annual report of the Linkage Programme, which gives support to former prisoners nationwide as they make the transition back into society, reveals over 2,300 have been placed in training, education and employment in the last seven years.
Almost 50 per cent of the figure are now employed, while the remainder are involved in various forms of education.
"The ultimate objective of the programme is to assist ex-offenders with re-integrating into the working community," Minister for Justice Michael McDowell said.
"By assessing their needs, offering concrete support systems and establishing direct links to employers, the programme has succeeded in assisting ex-offenders to turn their lives around".
The Linkage Programme was set up in 2000, and has so far managed to enrol 34 per cent of participants in further training and 14 per cent in education, in addition to the almost 50 per cent in employment.
The majority of candidates placed have been males in their twenties, with the most common employment sector being construction and trades.
"It is a fact that when people have a fulfilling job, they rarely re-offend," chief executive of Business in the Community Ireland Tina Roche said.
PA