Just 16% of sex offenders released from Irish prisons go through treatment programmes

Of the 136 sex offenders to be released this year from Irish prisons only 22 will have gone through a dedicated treatment programme for sex offenders.

That is according to figures released by the Minister for Justice Frances Fitzgerald which show the 22 sex offenders taking the Building Better Lives Programme at Arbour Hill prison being released this year is a drop of 24% on the 29 sex offenders released in 2014 who completed the programme.

Last year, 136 sex offenders were released from Irish jails with 20% of those offenders sitting the programme — with the rate of released sex offenders who have completed the course down to 16% this year.