Alternatives to prison 35 times less expensive

AN alternative system for dealing with offenders is around 35 times less expensive than prisons and boasts a much lower reoffending rate, new figures show.

The country’s two restorative justice programmes — one in Tipperary and one in Dublin — have an average cost per offender of around €2,500.

This compares to the average cost of keeping a person in prison of more than €90,000.