Almost 100 sex offenders are on supervised parole rather than in prison, but there is no statutory community-based treatment to prevent them re-offending, a weekend conference heard.
Senior probation and welfare officer Mr Anthony Cotter told the conference on treatment for sex offenders that the Government is committed to setting up community-based treatment for them.
Mr Cotter said the service would need a formal network of agencies, including gardai, social workers, schools, health care workers, housing authorities and counsellors.
A total of 52 of the 279 sex offenders in Irish prisons applied for treatment this year, according to Dr Paul Murphy, the clinical psychologist who runs the Arbour Hill treatment programme.
Ten prisoners were taken on at Arbour Hill Prison, the only sex offender programme available in the State, and 26 remain on the waiting list. The remainder were considered unsuitable or declined treatment after applying for it.
The conference, organised by the Irish Penal Reform Trust, heard that despite the commitment to a community treatment programme no extra money was allocated to the Probation and Welfare Service in last week's Estimates. IPRT chairwoman Dr Valerie Bresnihan said commitments to reducing the risk of sex offenders re-offending without the necessary resources were "nothing more than laudable, but relatively useless sentiments".
A community treatment programme would apply only to offenders convicted by the courts. Those in the low to moderate risk category would get priority and anyone breaking the conditions of supervision would be returned to court. The programme would also be developed for sex offenders released after serving prison sentences, Mr Cotter said.
Dr Murphy said 47 per cent of sex offenders currently in prison had been convicted for offences against adults. These prisoners were serving an average of 6 1/2 years. The Curragh Prison, which has no treatment programme, currently houses 92 sex offenders, the largest number in any Irish prison. Sixty seven are held in Arbour Hill, 47 in Castlerea, 41 in Wheatfield, 15 in Cork, 10 in Limerick and seven in Mountjoy. Dr Murphy said there had been a rise in the number of sex offences being reported, but only a modest increase in the number of sex offenders being imprisoned.
