Your recent article opens a welcome and timely discussion on the need for meaningful penal reform that will benefit not only people in prison but also prison staff and society as a whole.
Sarah Harte touched on many of the underlying issues that impact people in prison including their acute mental health and addiction issues.
There is currently a key opportunity to demonstrate political leadership, take a person-centred approach and divert people away from prison which is not a suitable place for people with a severe mental health illness or with serious addiction issues. Last year, Minister for Justice Helen McEntee and Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly and ministers of state in the Department of Health appointed a high-level taskforce to consider the mental health and addiction challenges of persons interacting with the criminal justice system.
This taskforce has now completed its work and we eagerly await the sign-off and publication of its recommendations and a high-level implementation plan assigning responsibility and timelines. The immediate publication of the plan, in advance of Budget 2023, would allow time to cost and plan for the necessary resources and ensure vital work can begin as a matter of urgency.
The forthcoming Penal Policy Action Plan, committed to by Minister McEntee, will be another pivotal moment for transformation. The additional commitment by the Government to consider enshrining the principle of imprisonment as a sanction of last resort in legislation could be a gamechanger as alternatives to prison for less serious non-violent crimes can result in better outcomes for the people involved and relieve the pressure on our prison system. And the societal benefit of diversion should not be underestimated. Apart from the reduction in reoffending, in 2020 the Probation Service managed 1,161 Community Service Orders which resulted in €1.6m worth of unpaid work for the benefit of communities nationwide.
While we in IPRT are encouraged by the minister’s constructive approach to penal reform, we now need to see these important commitments translated into action to achieve critical change sooner rather than later.
Saoirse Brady
Executive director, Irish Penal Reform Trust
High hopes of reality in Cork
Regarding Michael Moynihan’s column, an article like this in 2022 shows a lack of awareness of reality. Many countries have legalised ‘dope’, showing real evidence of how these old legends are all nonsense. Stop misinforming people.
Rosario S
Cork
Selfish culture is way of the world
As usual Michael Moynihan hits the nail right on the head with two sentences in his article. 1) “Maybe the whims of the selfish are the way of the future when any and all passing fancies are given equal weight” and 2) “There is no legislation to make people less selfish”. It seems to be the way of the world at the moment, ‘Me, Me, Me’. Well done Michael for highlighting the problem.
Frank Clarke
Passage West, Cork
Stench of weed invades my home
Re: Michael Moynihan’s column, I live in an apartment, I have to seal windows with duct tape to keep the smell of weed out of my home and child’s bedroom.
They smoke it in the morning, afternoon, evening, and well into 2am or 3am with no let-up.
The smell is so strong I’m afraid to drive to work in the mornings for fear I will test positive now that the gardaí test for drug-driving as well as drink-driving.
I tried sealing the windows with wet towels, black bags, etc.
My daughter sometimes cries over the smell which is so strong. I have not reported the individual as they have children and we are in a housing crisis.
When other neighbours reported the incident, they ramped it up even more.
I wish the Government would have designated areas where people can smoke pot, it should be illegal to do so in your home or on streets though.
If people want to get high on pot that’s fine, but they have no right to interfere with neighbours especially when they need to drive and get to work. They also have no right to subject children to the offensive smell.
I cannot understand why they can’t bake it in a brownie or consume it some other way. The stench is stomach-churning.
Again, I don’t have an issue with people smoking pot, I would be open to legalising it, but laws must protect children and residents.
Personally, I think this particular neighbour is extremely selfish and disrespectful. She is a good, kind mother and her child adores her, but the 24/7 pot smoking is an issue.
I also got the blame for reporting her, which caused tension, I had to go back to my letting agent and tell them in no uncertain terms that this was to be clarified which they did.
The pot-smoker tried to apologise after the attack, however the tension and damage was done at that stage.
Thank you for highlighting the issue. Everyone appears to be smoking pot. They need to consider legalising it in designated areas and strengthen laws for second-hand smoke.
Sharon Egan
Clare
Cork City and bus station is shabby
I am visiting Cork after many years spent in Australia and I am sad to see the state of the city. It’s very run down with empty shops, smelly bus shelters and a general air of neglect. The bus depot is appalling, with complete lack of staff and poor information.
The city benefits greatly from visitors but how many of them would ever return? If it were not my home, I certainly wouldn’t. Your saviours are your people, they are so friendly and helpful and (mostly) have a great sense of humour? Please, City Fathers and Bus Eireann take action! I look forward to seeing some real improvement on my next visit.
Mairead Vernon-Rogers
Australia
State must retain energy ownership
Your report on ‘Shell Risk of Energy Rationing’ is a stark reminder of the need to learn the lessons of history.
The energy crisis affecting our country today could have been less acute had the government of the day had more consideration for the citizens of Ireland and had more vision for the future of the nation in respect of energy security.
The highly controversial deal with Shell for the Corrib gas field amounted to an appalling energy giveaway of the nation’s vital energy resources. The Corrib gas field has been in the ownership of UK, Norwegian, Canadian, and Spanish interests over the years with not a single share owned by the citizens of Ireland for the nation and with no representation on the Board of the Company. The mistakes of the past must not be repeated.
Given the need to run down fossil fuel production for the sake of the survival of the planet we see the welcome moves towards alternative energy. It is vital that this and future governments secure a meaningful portion of ownership of all energy fields for the future.
The rush to get the offshore sector up and running, just in order to get production going must be tempered with intelligent planning with a healthy degree of national ownership in mind.
Though at sea the areas most suitable for production of wind-driven turbines are finite and should not be taken out of the control of the nation so that private companies can divide them at will to increase their profit margins leaving the citizens vulnerable to the likes of ‘Vlad the Butcher’ and company.
The so-called State’s role in securing energy supplies for the future has been disastrous and contrary to the principles of good governance and of democracy itself. The ownership of both offshore and land-based energy fields must not be handed over lock stock and barrel to private interests just to be ‘farmed out’ at will as has been the case with the Corrib and others.
Joe Brennan
Ballinspittle,
Co Cork
Increase in military budget overdue
Defence Minister Simon Coveney’s announcement of an increase in defence funding to €1.5bn by 2028 is, as he describes, “one of the biggest things I have ever done in politics” and something us ‘old soldiers’ could only dream of.
Coming at a time when housing and health are so badly in need of greater funding, many are not cognisant with the ‘military sphere’ may be angered at this increased spending.
In this context, it should be realised that there is never a good time to significantly increase the budget of any single government department, that the Defence Forces have been embarrassingly neglected for many years whereby funds that it would have reasonably expected was expended elsewhere and that this extra expenditure, in the context of our European partners, brings us roughly from one third to one half of their average spending. Finally, the potential that this affords for an enhanced professional career to thus enabling every soldier better serve this State in the future must not be disregarded either.
Michael Gannon, (Colonel retired)
St Thomas’ Square, Kilkenny
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