Most sex offenders are freed without therapy

Fewer than half of all sex offenders released from prison this year underwent any form of rehabilitative therapy while in prison.

Statistics provided to the Irish Examiner by the Irish Prison Service also show that, of prisoners currently serving sentences for sex crimes and scheduled for release in 2014, just a third are currently undertaking therapy programmes.

The primary programme aimed at treating sex offending behaviour is the Building Better Lives programme, based in Arbour Hill Prison in Dublin.