Ahern Considers Electronic Tagging For Sex Offenders

The Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Dermot Ahern T.D., has said electronic monitoring of high risk sex offenders is currently under examination.

The Minister made his comments at a Forum on the Management of Sex Offenders in Dublin.

He said that officials were looking at the legislative and administrative implications of electronically monitoring high risk sex offenders after their release from imprisonment.

Minister Ahern outlined a range of new measures likely to be implemented to deal with sex offenders. He said the 'Discussion Document' published in January involved a systematic review of all aspects to see what more "can be done or how we can do existing things better."   

He said: "There are some key provisions being proposed. I would hope to implement these subject to whatever may emerge from our current consultative process which may produce new and better proposals."

Among the measures being proposed are:  

• that standardised, evidence based risk assessments specifically designed for sex offenders will be introduced with the aim of assessing the risk level of all convicted sex offenders;
• the results of assessments will be shared as appropriate between the Gardaí, the Probation Service and the Irish Prison Service;
• in the case of every person convicted of a sexual offence, the sentencing court will be offered a risk assessment for the offender; 
• new interventions for sex offenders are being introduced by the Irish Prison Service.

In addition, the Minister said that in appropriate cases when a sex offender is  returning to the community on completion of their sentence a case conference will be held, involving the Irish Prison Service, the Probation Service, the Garda Síochána and others as required, to prepare a strategy for the re-integration of the offender into the community.

He said there would also be a network of local risk management committees whose job will be to monitor all the identified high risk sex offenders in the community and to take what ever action they determine is necessary.

He added: "New statutory powers will be given to the Gardaí and the Probation Service to carry out this task and to more effectively and efficiently monitor released sex offenders. 

"Importantly this will include the power for the Probation Service to apply to court to impose new conditions on sex offenders about to be released and who are to be subject to post release supervision orders. This may involve electronic monitoring. The Project Board looking at this issue, led by the Probation Service, has begun this work and will report back to me."