Jail time a ‘possibly pointless exercise’ after Shatter move

A circuit court judge has said it may be pointless to send convicted criminals to prison following Justice Minister Alan Shatter’s plan to give temporary release to 1,200 prisoners over the next three years.

Judge Tony Hunt, who last year described prison as “an expensive place of last resort”, made the comments at Tullamore Circuit Court where he was dealing with two separate cases of men who committed offences while under suspended sentences.

He was deciding whether to activate the suspended sentences, but concluded there was “no point” in doing so.