I am informed that the comments to which the Deputy refers were in the context of the pandemic and the unique challenges Covid-19 posed to custodial institutions, including our prisons. Covid-19 in a prison presented a uniquely difficult challenge for prison management worldwide in terms of controlling the spread of the virus amongst staff and prisoners, and the provision of appropriate medical treatment to affected persons and the maintenance of staffing levels.
A significant amount of work was carried out by the Irish Prison Service to address this challenge, informed and guided by the advice received from the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET), and consistent with the prison specific guidance for the management of Covid-19 issued by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Council of Europe.
As the Deputy is aware, in March 2020, my predecessor approved a number of actions to assist the Irish Prison Service to reduce the numbers of prisoners in custody, including the temporary release of low-risk prisoners, in order to ensure effective infection control measure were possible.
In the first instance, the approach included granting temporary release to low risk prisoners who were serving sentences of less than 12 months for non-violent offences. Subsequently, prisoners assessed as low risk who had less than 6 months to serve were also granted temporary release from some prisons depending on the risks present.
I am informed that all prisoners granted temporary release were assessed by the Irish Prison Service on a case-by-case basis. The primary factor in considering any prisoner for early release at that time remained public safety and risk assessments included any convictions for domestic abuse, such as breach of barring orders which presented a significant risk during the pandemic. The outcome of this experience was exceptionally successful with the with one death attributed to Covid over the course of the pandemic.
I am sure the Deputy will appreciate that in the circumstances not all prisoners granted temporary release at the time would have made an application for temporary release and it would not be correct to compare infection control measures taken during the pandemic to the ordinary operation of our prisons on a daily basis.
