NCJ Number
222700
Journal
Howard Journal of Criminal Justice Volume: 47 Issue: 2 Dated: May 2008 Pages: 121-133
Date Published
May 2008
Length
13 pages
Annotation
This article reviews data and policy on Ireland's prison system and critiques policymakers' determination to continue an ambitious prison-building program to accommodate prison population growth.
Abstract
Ireland's commitment to a prison-building program, albeit small in international terms, is occurring in the context of very little analysis of the factors that are fueling prison population growth in Ireland. Ireland has no reliable statistical models for predicting the future size and characteristics of the Irish prison population, given the lack of sentencing data and the absence of a standardized data collection model for use across the various criminal justice agencies. Consequently, decisions about the supply of prison beds are made according to perceived operational requirements or political judgment calls. Although statistical models intended to provide rational judgments about prison populations may be based on flawed assumptions and require modification, they have one key virtue, i.e., they force policymakers to engage in an identification and analysis of the factors that contribute to prison population growth, the relative contribution of each factor to such growth, and their interdependence. The policies underlying decisions to send people to prison have changed little in Ireland since the early 1990s. Policymakers and politicians could declare a moratorium on prison building while they review alternatives to the expansion of the prison system; however, given the current features of the debate about crime control, such a decision is unlikely. Even in a country like Ireland, where rates of recorded crime are relatively low and prison costs relatively high, politicians and policymakers are reluctant to think of new ways to sentence and manage offenders. 3 tables and 32 references