Should we have the right to know where this man lives?

Sue Donnelly and Mary Rogan give their verdicts.

Yes

Sue Donnelly

I STARTED my campaign because we had a convicted sex offender living a couple of yards away from our house.

Across the road, there was a creche, a boy’s primary and secondary school. Another two minutes up the road there was a girl’s primary and secondary school.

Every night, we held a peaceful protest to let him know we knew he was living there and that we weren’t going to accept it.

We had seen him around the area a couple of times. But as soon as he was moved out of the area everybody said, because he had moved somewhere else, just forgot about it. But I felt very strongly about it and that’s why I set up the Facebook page.

The campaign aims to highlight the fact that sex offenders live among us. Some of them we know of, some we have not heard of yet.

As I have pointed out in the past, some of these offenders are men, some are women.

As well as the Facebook page, I set up an online petition as well. I want to organise a walk to the office of the Minister for Justice, Dermot Ahern. We will hand the petition in to let him know we will no longer accept this. We’re not going to sit back and allow the likes of Larry Murphy back into our community when they are released from prison, without people knowing that they are there and where they are living.

The decision by the authorities not to notify people that sex offenders have moved into an area puts women, children and men at risk. Hopefully the campaign will raise awareness among the public.

As I’ve pointed out many times on the page, I’m not a vigilante.

When sex offenders go into prison they’re under the control of the Minister for Justice and his department. But when they’re released from prison, it’s a case of “forget about them, they’ve done their time, let them go on”.

It has been stated that Larry Murphy poses a serious risk, yet people like you and me are just supposed to sit back, accept it and do nothing.

It is a particular problem in rural areas, where locals would not be aware who has moved into their community. They will not know their faces. That’s why I set up this campaign, to highlight it and let people know.

I have one child and am absolutely terrified to let her out of my sight. When we were growing up we were told be careful of the boogeyman. Now there are a lot more boogeymen and boogeywomen out there.

I will not let my daughter out of my sight because I’m not willing to take the risk.

These people have been convicted of an offence. What they did was proven in a court of law. Everybody has the right to know who they are and where they’re living.

Since I set up this site, an awful lot of people have contacted me, some crying, to thank me for setting it up.

It’s given them a voice to talk to and it’s made people more aware.

Sue Donnelly is a mother-of-one who set up an internet campaign to publicise and let communities know where released sex offenders like Larry Murphy are living. Her Facebook page is called “We have the right to know who is living in our area”.

No

Dr Mary Rogan

THE question of how to manage those released from prison after serving a sentence for a sexual offence offers no easy answers. On the face of it, providing information to the public on the whereabouts of a released person may appear to be a well-intentioned way of increasing public safety and allaying public anxiety. However, in reality, the matter is far more complex.

There is understandable concern when a person convicted of a serious offence is released. A number of critical issues must be addressed when managing the transition back to the community.

First, the welfare of the public must be ensured and account taken of the concerns of the victim and his or her family. Equally, the released person must be able to return to the community safely and the appropriate services made available. It is unlikely that making a person’s identity and location publicly available will secure either of these fundamental aims.

It is absolutely essential that the experts in managing the release of prisoners are allowed to do their job without interference. One of the most significant dangers about providing such information is that its release may result in the individual being unable to obtain or maintain secure and stable accommodation.

Transient and unsecure accommodation makes managing a person’s release far more difficult and means the path back to the community becomes a significantly more onerous one. Most importantly, it also does nothing to assist the gardaí and the Probation Service in their work. These services and, in particular, the National Sex Offenders Management Unit are the experts in managing risk and dealing with matters of concern.

They should be supported and facilitated in carrying out their roles. It is unlikely that media organisations are better equipped than these bodies to supervise and support those released from prison or indeed to respond to public anxiety.

Instead of focusing on the right or otherwise of the public to know, it would be more beneficial to examine other strategies for dealing with this complex and sensitive issue. Supports upon release are essential to deal with risk, but also to assist with reintegration. The involvement of the community can be crucial in this regard also. However, it is similarly essential to begin to address such behaviour prior to release. Though in-prison programmes cannot be expected to solve all problems, their provision and resourcing is vital. In this regard, the development of the Building Better Lives programme offered in Arbour Hill prison is very welcome. Such programmes, based on robust evidence and expertise, will not offer a quick-fix, but are likely to be more effective in the long term than a “right to know” policy.

Across all prison sentences, the use of temporary release and remission are important tools which could be used in a more constructive manner to support prisoners in preparation for release and in their movement away from offending behaviour. Careful management of sentences and the broad-based involvement of professional services is another important plank in any such strategy.

In addition, since 2001 the powers of the gardaí to supervise those released after serving a sentence for a sexual offence have been strengthened. Community support to the gardaí is essential to the proper exercise of those powers. All these agencies, along with the media, also have a critical role to play in ensuring undue fear is not created.

It is through the combination of these existing and developing approaches that we will be better equipped to deal with the release of those convicted of sexual offences and to promote public safety. It is unlikely that providing a “right” to know will be more effective or desirable.

Dr Mary Rogan is chairperson of the Irish Penal Reform Trust.