'Essential' that sex offenders can avail of interventions in prison

A chronic overcrowding crisis has emerged across Irish prisons and has put significant pressure on psychological services, not least in treating sex offenders.

Rape crisis centres have said it is “essential” that psychological interventions are available in prisons for sex offenders capable of, and willing to, engage.

It follows reports in the Irish Examiner on Monday revealing a massive increase — of almost 70% in the last five years — in the number of prisoners serving sentences for sex offences.

As of the end of last month, there were 706 sex offender prisoners, compared to 424 in June 2019.

This has contributed to a chronic overcrowding crisis across Irish prisons and has added significant pressure on psychological services, not least in treating sex offenders.

To deal with the surge in the number of sex offenders in prisons, the Irish Prison Service (IPS) has been forced to start moving significant numbers into the Progression Unit, a standalone facility in the Mountjoy Prison Complex.

This unit, with a capacity for 206 people, was supposed to house inmates on enhanced regimes for good engagement with services and in preparation for reintegration back into society.

Since the IPS made its decision last March, 67 sex offenders are now in the Progression Unit, and that number is expected to continue to increase.

The specialist therapeutic programme for sex offenders in prisons — Building Better Lives — has undergone an independent review and the IPS is, according to Justice Minister Helen McEntee, beginning to implement it.

The intensive programme only deals with a small number of sex offenders every year and, as Ms McEntee said last May, has “strict inclusion and exclusion criteria”.

Psychologists in the IPS have been planning for the last two years to expand their interventions to reach out to a much wider number of sex offenders.

In a reply to a parliamentary question in May, Ms McEntee said that 11 prisoners completed the programme in 2023.

Asked about the status of the review and its implementation, the IPS said: “The final draft has recently been received and is being reviewed by the Probation Service before final sign-off.” 

Dublin Rape Crisis Centre chief executive Rachel Morragh: 'Effective therapy can be pivotal in helping sex offenders grasp the impact of their actions.'

Commenting, Rachel Morrogh, chief executive of Dublin Rape Crisis Centre, said: "DRCC acknowledges the importance of providing effective therapeutic interventions for sex offenders who are capable of and willing to participate in such programmes. We understand that the Building Better Lives programme is currently undergoing significant revisions.

“Effective therapy can be pivotal in helping sex offenders grasp the impact of their actions, so it is essential that these services are available to those who are committed to engaging with them.”

Saoirse Brady, executive director, Irish Penal Reform Trust.

The Irish Penal Reform Trust said the review of the BBL programme, conducted by Dr Liam Marshall of the Department of Psychiatry at University of Toronto, had been submitted to the IPS earlier this year.

“Minister McEntee has highlighted a number of changes that will be made to reduce existing barriers to treatment for people convicted of sex offences and, recently, planned recruitment to support implementation,” said IPRT executive director Saoirse Brady.

“This is welcome, but again it may take some time to see the impact of these changes.”

She expressed concern at the repurposing of the Progression Unit, which she said will not only have an impact on the people who were there but could have ramifications for engagement with rehabilitative services across all prisons.