Majority Of Voters Oppose Prison For Less Serious Offenders

A majority of voters would prefer if certain offenders were diverted away from prison and into non-custodial programmes, according to a new opinion poll. Two-thirds of respondents to the Irish Penal Reform Trust poll said they believe people come out of prison in a worse state than when they go in.

Almost three-quarters said they would be in favour of alternatives to prison for young offenders, while 81% said offenders with drug addictions should be placed in recovery programmes instead of jail.

The IPRT says the findings show that the main political parties are out of step with how voters believe the prison system should be used.