Unit rejigged to house sex offenders
THE Progression Unit at Mountjoy Prison had to be repurposed to accommodate sex offenders as jails are overflowing with inmates convicted of such crimes.
Sex offenders are usually held in a limited number of locations including Arbour Hill, Midlands Prison and Castlerea Prison.
However, the number of people being jailed for sex crimes since 2019 has soared by around 50% and these now account for more than 15% of the prison population.
That forced the Irish Prison Service to repurpose the Progression Unit on the Mountjoy site.
However, the IPS decided last month to use the unit to house sex offenders.
QUESTION
Justice Minister Helen Mcentee gave the details following a parliamentary question from Green Party TD Patrick Costello, who had asked if the Progression Unit would continue to be used for this purpose.
Mrs Mcentee said: “Due to limitations and rising sex offender committals to prison, it was decided to consider other options within the prison estate to accommodate this cohort of prisoner.
“The Progression Unit of Mountjoy Prison is selfsufficient in relation to recreation, education, work and training, and there is no requirement for prisoners living in this unit to interact or traverse to the main prison.
“For this reason, it was decided that [it] is a suitable location to accommodate sex offenders.”
The first group of sex offenders was moved last month but Ms Mcentee said “further movements” of criminals serving time for such sentences to the Progression Unit would take place in the coming months.
Meanwhile, prisoners who are serving sentences for other offences at the unit will be moved to alternative accommodation elsewhere in the prison estate.