Facility for homeless high-risk sex offenders shut

A step-down facility for high-risk sex offenders leaving prison has shut, and there is no national plan in place to deal with sex offenders who become homeless, a senior probation service official has warned.

Concerns about dealing with homeless sex offenders were expressed at a high level inter-agency meeting between Dublin City Council, homeless services and the probation services last year.

According to documents obtained by the Irish Examiner, the chair of a special multi-agency group (MAG), set up to deal with such people said, while many non-governmental groups are working with low- to medium-risk offenders, there is a gap concerning more serious offenders.