THE starkest lessons about the criminal justice system can probably be learned from a recent survey of 70 offenders at Loughan House, an "open" prison for men in Co Cavan.
The survey showed that almost third were illiterate or semi literate. Of the 70 surveyed - the majority of whom were aged 18 to 30 years - 32 had not had a job before going to prison. And 33, almost 50 per cent, had been in prison before.
If policymakers wonder at the constant demand for more prison spaces, many reasons probably lie in these few statistics.
Loughan House lies in a remote part of Co Cavan, near the village of Blacklion on the border with Northern Ireland. The main building is a large three storey structure built as a seminary for the White Fathers missions in 1953.
In 1975 it was taken over by the Department of Justice as a detention centre for boys, in response to Dublin's first "joyriding epidemic. Now it houses offenders aged from 18 years, most serving, time for robbery and some for assault and public order offences. The barbed wire topped fences from the 1970s still enclose part of, the grounds, but Loughan is clearly an "open" centre.
There are 63 staff and nine full time teachers for 85 inmates, the majority of whom are young offenders on sentences of up to 18 months. Like other prisoners in open jails good behaviour earns 50 per cent remission, compared to the normal 25 per cent. Fear of losing this remission, and removal of other privileges such as home visits on temporary release, are the main security But the 45 acre site beside Lough Macnean also has security cameras linked to electronic beams.
Twenty eight of the 483 inmates who passed through Loughan House last year absconded. Those caught are sent to other prisons such as Mountjoy, as is anyone who fails or refuses to agree to two urine tests for drugs.
According to the Governor, Dan Scannell, about 60 cent of inmates attend school, which includes home economics, woodwork and music.
Yesterday afternoon the figure seemed lower with fewer than 20 in the classrooms. But more were in the workshops where basic leather and textiles are made.
The most lucrative occupation appeared to be pulling excess rubber from small moulded rubber seals by hand. The seals are sent to Loughan by a nearby factory filling orders for Volkswagen. Prisoners who do this all day can earn up to £30 a week on top of their £7 weekly gratuity from the State.
The 49 bedrooms are small, and 32 of them have two beds in a space designed for one. But inmates are free to use toilets at the end of the corridor, and can eat in a canteen rather than their rooms, so conditions are relatively good compared to other prisons. Inmates also have keys to their rooms, allowing some privacy.
In recent years there has been controversy over allegations of prisoners leaving for a day or two at a time, to commit crimes in the area before returning. But Mr Scannell says relations with the community are good. He is note surprised at the recidivism rate.
They go back to places contaminated with rugs, and they're living, on social welfare, and there's very little we can do.