Who calls the shots on prison sentences and early release ?

Colash

I've always wondered this . How some people get 1 and 2 year prison sentences and get out in a matter of months ? Is it prison governors making these calls or outside influences ?

tootsy70

Money! like every ****ing thing else

LowKeyReturn

There is automatic remission - I think it's 1/3 - used as a control measure to ensure good behaviour. Then because of the chronic over crowding there is also early release. So to be fair yes - money is a factor. There is also the facto that they may have been remanded for a number of months pre-trial.

loremolis

tootsy70 wrote: »

Money! like every ****ing thing else

I don't doubt you but how does that work?

Do you pay the warden or the guy at the gate?

Scortho

loremolis wrote: »

I don't doubt you but how does that work?

Do you pay the warden or the guy at the gate?

Neither. The days of brown envelops are over.
Basically johnny is in prison for not something minor taking up a cell. Mikey gets sentanced for 2 years for drug dealing but there's no room in the prison for mikey because they don't have money to build prisons. So they release johnny early to make room for the more dangerous criminal.

Colash

And is it true that to keep a prisoner in a prison for a year costs 50grand????

LowKeyReturn

Colash wrote: »

And is it true that to keep a prisoner in a prison for a year costs 50grand????

Nope that's bargain basement. Prison currently costs every man, woman and child in Ireland a grand each. Estimates per prisoner last I heard was €86,000 but some have but the figure closer to €100K. The majority are serving sentences of under 2 years and would be far better dealt with by other means. That said some say the figure at €1.86 per day - the cost of feeding a prisoner for a day. This is because unless we close prisons the cost to the tax payer is actually the same.

Furthermore we're in a very similar position to Scotland which has paid out over £90 million in human rights violations claims over the sate of their prisons. Ours on the whole are just as bad if not worse. The St Pats situation is a disgrace. Mountjoy is being upgraded (further costs) but Cork by some accounts is beyond fixing.

Lastly due to overcrowding we've people being released early, rehabilitation and mental health facilities stretched to breaking point and a mockery of a fine default system where people know they'll never get past reception if they default on fines.

mck89

how long do people serve in prisons in ireland if they have no previous convictions , and got a jial term of 18 months left.

Cody Pomeray

18 months remaining or 18 month sentence?

Under prison rules, all prisoners serving sentences of durations greater than 1 month shall be entitled to one-quarter remission of their sentences. This remission may be curtailed where there is bad behaviour.

Alternatively, remission can usually be increased for up to a third of the sentence where the prisoner has taken part in a course or some organized programme, and there is low likelihood of recidivism.

If you have a specific query, you might contact the prison authorities or an investigating Garda, whichever is the more appropriate to your relationship with a prisoner.

mck89

18 months remaning, i was just wondering ? as i have looked up so much and not found anything, it was 2 and a half 8 months suspensed .thanks you for your post .

mck89

18 months left it was 2 and a half years 8 months suspended, i was just wondering as i dont really understand a lot about the system.

Cody Pomeray

Ok, in that case he should have 10.5 months left taking remission into account.

75%(30) - (30-18) = 10.5 months

mck89

ok well thank you for the information much appreciated.

mck89

also in that time can they apply for a open prison

Cody Pomeray

Yes, the prisoner himself, and his family, or solicitor acting on the prisoner's behalf may apply for transfer to an open prison simply by making a communication with the prison.

In reality, contact is also often made with a TD or Minister, if you have a local Minister. It's not easy to say how effective that is, but it doesn't hurt anyone's case to do so. Best of luck.

jake_the_muss

I once was convicted of assault in a crooked case , I paid the fine but afterwards regreted not having done the three months ( regreted even more not having appealed and not having hired a good legal professional ) , how much time would I have expected to have done at a minimum

this was in 2005 btw

Cody Pomeray

just over two months including remission, if three months was the alternative the judge was willing to impose, and also provided that there was no deviation from a gentleman's behaviour during your penal refreshment.

mck89

sometimes paying a fine shows remorse and that you are sorry. depending on the case and what you did.

Victor

LowKeyReturn wrote: »

Prison currently costs every man, woman and child in Ireland a grand each.

Eh, no. €348.4 million (2011) spread over a population of 4,576,000 (2011). That is about €76 per capita.

IPS Annual Report wrote:

The total gross expenditure by the Irish Prison Service in 2011 was €348.4 million, some €1.1 million within budget.

Meanwhile

Estimates per prisoner last I heard was €86,000 but some have but the figure closer to €100K.

IPS Annual Report wrote:

Cost per Available, Staffed Prison Space

The average cost of an available, staffed prison space during the calendar year 2011 was €65,359 (€70,513 in 2010), a decrease on the 2010 cost of €5,154 or 7.3%.

However, not that two people serving six months each will only occupy one prison space for the year. the majority of committals (62%) are for under one year, while the majority of bed nights (86%) are occupied by prisoners serving more than 1 year.

LowKeyReturn

Many thanks for the corrections Victor. Very interesting reading - out of interest why the 2011 report rather than the 2012?

Sentencing info, in the appendix, is quite useful to me also - thanks again.

Victor

LowKeyReturn wrote: »

Many thanks for the corrections Victor. Very interesting reading - out of interest why the 2011 report rather than the 2012?

Is 2012 available>? Google threw up 2011 as the first result and then other stuff.

LowKeyReturn

Victor wrote: »

Is 2012 available>? Google threw up 2011 as the first result and then other stuff.

Ah just wondered if there was some issue with 2012. Website added to my links, thanks for the steer.

Sala

There is a new community release scheme that allows people out once half the sentence is served - this is administered within the prison so I presume they have the final say on who gets it

mck89

do people in open priosns get out earlier on schmes then half way mark?

mck89

do people in open priosns get out earlier on schmes then half way mark? if their not a threat or have no pervious convictions, or voilent .

Cody Pomeray

There are cases in open prisons where people can move into semi-public life. Sometimes they live in a property adjacent to the prison grounds, or they have limited contact with local townspeople through community development schemes and suchlike. This is not full release, and the prisoners are typically barred from going into pubs or going into the town past curfew.

Aside from that, open prison inmates are not subject to unique rules.

mck89

okay thank you ,how many times a month are they allowed home for weekend release one they have being passed.

mck89

i dont understand what you mean

Cody Pomeray

There's no formula mck89, the decision is made at the Governor's discretion.

Where there is that kind of weekend release, the prisoner should be given some basic pocket money to get by during his release. Just something to bear in mind, it's an important aspect of the prisoner valuing his liberty.

mck89

oh okay i understand thank you