Councillor Jimmy Kavanagh, has welcomed the Minister for Justice, Equality and Defence’s call for greater use of non-custodial sentences by the judiciary where appropriate, where minor offences are concerned.
Cllr Jimmy Kavanagh
“The Annual Report of the Prison Service 2012 shows a yearly increase of 10 per cent in the number of people being jailed for a term of three months or less, with 8,304 people imprisoned for non-payment of a court ordered fine,” he explained.
“While we must ensure that violent offenders receive appropriate prison sentences, less costly options for non-violent and less serious offenders must be considered. The current overcrowding in our prisons and the high cost of imprisonment necessitates significant reform of sentencing in this country.
The cost of incarnation for a prisoner rising to €65,404 per year.
The Fine Gael Letterkenny Town Councillor says it is incumbent on the judiciary to consider the full menu of non-custodial options available, in particular, the community service order Scheme.
“We have many examples locally of the great work being carried out by the probation service, including the initial preparation of the allotment site at Ard O’Donnell, painting the local boxing club premises, and Women’s Centre, clearing the site at Rodger’s burn, ongoing maintenance work at Donegal Hospice and the Little Angel’s school, these are just some examples of the very useful work that the service has carried out recently in the Letterkenny area, and there is room for much more to be done, with wider use of the community service order scheme.
“Restorative justice is also an invaluable and cost effective non-custodial option for the criminal justice system in responding to and combating crime in Irish society. It is a victim-sensitive response to criminal offending, through which engagement with those affected by a crime aims to make amends for the harm that has been caused to victims and communities,” he continued.
“Justice is not just a question of simply having the right procedures written into law and punishing the perpetrator, it is about affording dignity and respect to all parties in the justice process with the aim of reducing re-offending and overall crime rates. Initiatives such as the community service orders and restorative justice mean that people pay back their community by doing something positive within the community while also reducing overcrowding in our prisons,” Cllr. Kavanagh concluded.