Pubdate: Wed, 04 Aug 1999 Source: Examiner, The (Ireland) Copyright: Examiner Publications Ltd, 1999 Contact: http://www.examiner.ie/ Section: Opinion ALTERNATIVES TO PRISON DESERVE CONSIDERATION LOCKING people up in prison, a policy based on the foundations of a zero tolerance approach to crime, is no longer the answer to the age old question of how society deals with criminals. Few will disagree with this fundamental conclusion of an expert report on the Probation and Welfare Service which recommends the introduction of a range of alternatives to prison, including non custodial sanctions such as reparation for victims, mediation, counselling, treatment for sex abusers and other “sentences” to be imposed by judges. This is not to say that society should go soft on crime nor put abroad the message that crime pays. But it is clear that as times and attitudes change, the old approach of locking people up and throwing away the key, no longer works. The underlying philosophy of the new study is that prison sentences should no longer be the benchmark of our legal system. Society, it argues, should be sending fewer people to prison instead of building more prisons to house an ever growing number of offenders. Despite reports of falling crime rates, the prisons are bursting at the seams as the population of inmates continues to rise at an alarming rate. Of particular concern is the high proportion of under 21s condemned to spend time in jail. If anything, the revolving door syndrome turns the prison cell into a classroom where young offenders can hone the skills and techniques of their nefarious trades. Not surprisingly, publication of the report has been welcomed by politicians, members of the judiciary and unions working at the cliff face of the service. However, as the chief advocate of the policy of zero tolerance towards crime, Justice Minister O’Donoghue will face a major personal challenge if he is to encompass such radical proposals within the framework of his political philosophy. In recent days, for instance, he saw the decrease in reported crime as proof that prison works. Mr O’Donoghue is currently engaged in a prison building programme which will vastly increase the number of prison places in the State. And he will certainly point to the overwhelmingly positive reaction of voters to Fianna Fail’s tough anti crime platform in the run up to the last general election as proof that zero tolerance has won popular support. It will require a significant shift in policy, plus the introduction of new and far reaching legislation, if the alternatives to prison are to be given statutory effect. The Minister has a key role to play in stimulating public debate on these proposals which also embrace the area of family law. It is imperative that this important report not be consigned to gather dust on a departmental shelf. - --- MAP posted-by: Derek Rea