ALTERNATIVES TO PRISON DESERVE CONSIDERATION

LOCKING people up in prison, a policy based on the foundations of a
zero tolerance approach to crime, is no longer the answer to the age
old question of how society deals with criminals.

Few will disagree with this fundamental conclusion of an expert report
on the Probation and Welfare Service which recommends the introduction
of a range of alternatives to prison, including non custodial
sanctions such as reparation for victims, mediation, counselling,
treatment for sex abusers and other “sentences” to be imposed by judges.

This is not to say that society should go soft on crime nor put abroad
the message that crime pays. But it is clear that as times and
attitudes change, the old approach of locking people up and throwing
away the key, no longer works. The underlying philosophy of the new
study is that prison sentences should no longer be the benchmark of
our legal system. Society, it argues, should be sending fewer people
to prison instead of building more prisons to house an ever growing
number of offenders.

Despite reports of falling crime rates, the prisons are bursting at
the seams as the population of inmates continues to rise at an
alarming rate. Of particular concern is the high proportion of under
21s condemned to spend time in jail. If anything, the revolving door
syndrome turns the prison cell into a classroom where young offenders
can hone the skills and techniques of their nefarious trades.

Not surprisingly, publication of the report has been welcomed by
politicians, members of the judiciary and unions working at the cliff
face of the service. However, as the chief advocate of the policy of
zero tolerance towards crime, Justice Minister O’Donoghue will face a
major personal challenge if he is to encompass such radical proposals
within the framework of his political philosophy.

In recent days, for instance, he saw the decrease in reported crime as
proof that prison works. Mr O’Donoghue is currently engaged in a
prison building programme which will vastly increase the number of
prison places in the State. And he will certainly point to the
overwhelmingly positive reaction of voters to Fianna Fail’s tough anti
crime platform in the run up to the last general election as proof
that zero tolerance has won popular support.

It will require a significant shift in policy, plus the introduction
of new and far reaching legislation, if the alternatives to prison are
to be given statutory effect. The Minister has a key role to play in
stimulating public debate on these proposals which also embrace the
area of family law. It is imperative that this important report not be
consigned to gather dust on a departmental shelf.