Lynn Ruane (Independent) | Oireachtas source

Unfortunately, I do not think they are. There are four paragraphs from the Minister on more prison places but not reducing the need for prisons in the first place. That is so short-sighted. It lacks analysis, nuance, ambition and understanding of the issue where right now, we have a situation where the prison is completely overcrowded. It is not able to operate at the capacity it would like or able to offer the rehabilitative measures it needs to. Right now, there is nothing within that plan that states how we are going to release prisoners today.

There are life-sentence prisoners near the end of their sentence who can benefit no more from the system. They have completed their degrees and training and alternatives to violence work. They are out working in communities. They are doing their temporary release. There are so many measures that can be taken right now if the Minister was brave enough to make decisions against what she may think are political decisions because people will wonder why she is releasing prisoners. She needs to be brave in those decisions. All I am seeing in that response is how we create more prison places, so that we can lock more people up. I know I am putting that in very blunt terms, but I would have much preferred to see from the Minister's response today what she plans to do immediately and how she can make that meaningful.