Sir, - The Minister for Justice favours a register of sex offenders. The probation and welfare branch too gives its considered support to the establishment of a register. We further suggest that the Garda should be the body given the responsibility for maintaining the register; that it should include all categories of sexual offenders; that it should be subject to review; and that an "exceptional circumstances" waiver would be available to the courts.
In supporting the register, we also caution against the creation of a false sense of security from this single measure. A multiple increase in the capacity of the treatment programme for sex offenders in prisons is also most fundamentally required and overdue. The failure to develop that programme's capacity and the absence of other treatment programmes, particularly drug treatment, are factors in the strong pattern of repeat offending.
We recommend post-custody supervision for sex offenders to reduce risk levels. We recommend either the use of early release from prison under supervision or that sentences should specify both the length of period in custody and the duration of post-release supervision. Either mechanism would provide that supervision with a statutory basis. - Yours, etc., Patrick O'Dea, PRO, Probation and Welfare Branch, IMPACT,
Finglas, Dublin 11.