A Prison Chaplains report for 2006/07 should be made compulsory reading for all Government ministers, judges and social planners, as well as for newspaper editors. It confirms that the prison system has become a finishing school for criminality, is chronically overcrowded and dysfunctional. It recommends the use of restorative justice as a valid alternative to the courts. And it urges improvements in the rehabilitation and reintegration services for prisoners.
The document speaks of a mindset that is "obsessed with imprisonment" and says this must be challenged because locking people up does not bring about the changes expected or desired by society. Rather than invest in more prison places, it urges the Government to spend money on primary education and social facilities in disadvantaged areas. Rising violence and crime levels reflected a crisis in the fabric of society, it says, and should be tackled at community level.
We have been here before. But crude, punitive responses still hold sway at official level. In spite of a succession of reports and complaints, judges continue to send people in need of psychiatric care to prison. That is a matter of serious concern, as is the regime for juvenile offenders and the practice of imprisoning non-Irish nationals awaiting deportation. Prisons should not be treated as convenient dumping grounds. In particular, alternatives must be found for dealing with traffic offenders and for those who fail to pay fines or civil debts.
An effective system of restorative justice would, the prison chaplains believe, move beyond condemnation and punishment and eliminate demand for more places. Addressing the causes and consequences of certain kinds of crime in this way would assist the victim while encouraging the perpetrator to accept responsibility and make amends. Sexual offences are particularly fraught. Preventive counselling at community level, as well as prison treatment, is urged. And when offenders are released, the chaplains say they should not be harried and demonised by a hostile media as they try to rebuild their lives.
A change in official policy is needed. Imprisonment should be a sanction of last resort. The root causes of petty crime: poverty, illiteracy and a lack of opportunity should be tackled and a restorative justice system implemented. The Christmas period will offer all those who have a responsibility in the areas of justice, social planning and the media to take a long and dispassionate look at the situation, informed by the criticisms and recommendations of this report.