Prison treatment of the mentally ill and those with addiction high on agenda of new Government taskforce
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The Government has set up a new task force to examine the treatment and propose changes to how people with addiction and mental health problems are dealt with by the criminal justice system with a particular focus on prisons.
The Department of Justice said new High Level Taskforce will consider the mental health and addiction challenges of people interacting with the criminal justice system, following approval by Cabinet last wee week.
A statement said the establishment of the Taskforce is further to the Government’s commitment to ensure the critical mental health needs for people in prison are met, addiction treatments are provided and primary care support is available on release, in order to ensure improved outcomes for individuals and for society.
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Just one in eight sex offenders being released from prison have taken part in the State s main treatment programme, according to new figures.
There were 443 sexual offenders released from Irish prisons between 2017 and the beginning of last year, according to the figures obtained by RTÉ s Morning Ireland.
Just 55 of these sexual offenders had taken part in the Building Better Lives programme (BBL).
BBL is the State s main programme for reducing the risk of sex offenders committing another crime after their release.
The Irish Prison Service s psychology unit has said that those who undergo BBL are more than 3.5 times less likely to reoffend compared to those who do not.
Social Affairs & Religion Correspondent
Measures introduced to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic led to an improvement in Irish prison standards last year, according to the Irish Penal Reform Trust.
Like other congregated settings, Irish prisons have faced huge challenges due to Covid-19.
During the first wave last year, a reduction in prisoner numbers and cell sharing kept the virus at bay.
Family visits were substituted with video calls and there was a provision for phones in cells.
However, it said, as the country s oversubscribed courts system prepares to clear a backlog, any improvements are at risk of being reversed.
IPRT Executive Director Fíona Ní Chinnéide said there were more than 4,200 prisoners in custody at the outset of the pandemic.