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Survey ‘shows appetite for change’ on prison

The Irish Penal Reform Trust (IPRT) says that a survey that it has commissioned shows “widespread support” for measures to tackle overcrowding through alternatives to imprisonment.

The RED C poll interviewed a nationally representative sample of 1,006 adults at the start of October 2024 to gauge public opinion on a range of issues related to prison and the criminal-justice system.

According to the findings, 81% of adults believe that it is important for the next government to prioritise alternatives to imprisonment in cases of non-violent offences, with broad support across all major political-party supporters.

Prison capacity

Only 26% of respondents view prison as an effective tool for addressing non-violent crime.

According to the survey, 68% of people feel that expanding prison capacity will not reduce crime.

When given options as to what measures should be implemented to tackle crime, 41% choose additional gardaí over other measures, followed by drug-treatment places (21%) and youth services (10%).

When given a choice of how to deal with people who commit non-violent offences, the net top three choices were:

• To refer people with underlying issues to specialist courts for drugs,
• Sentencing people to community service, or
• For the person who committed the offence to provide reparation to the victims.

‘Complexities’

The IPRT says that the survey shows “a strong appetite for more innovative approaches”, such as specialist courts and community service.

The organisation’s executive director Saoirse Brady (small picture) said that it commissioned the poll ahead of the general election to find out “what people on the ground really think” about the use of prison and the criminal-justice system.

“Clearly this is not a black-and-white issue – people recognise the complexities and underlying causes that result in many people coming into conflict with the law and often leading to imprisonment.

“The results demonstrate that not only do people understand the social issues that may lead some people to offend in the first place – including mental health challenges, trauma, addiction, the cost in the rise of living, and homelessness – but they also indicate an underlying sense of compassion,” she stated.

Brady said she hoped that the findings would lead to “a robust debate” over the coming weeks and “put to bed” many assumptions about the general public’s views of the penal system.