Taoiseach says more prison places needed to allow longer sentences after Puska case
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The Taoiseach has called for more prison spaces in a bid to allow judges impose minimum sentences.
During Friday's sentencing of Ashling Murphy's murderer Josef Puska, Justice Tony Hunt noted that while he had the power to sentence the killer, he did not have the power to impose a minimum stay in prison, a common practice in other countries.
Speaking at his party's special conference in Maynooth, Co Kildare, on Saturday, Leo Varadkar said that he has tasked Justice Minister Helen McEntee with examining the laws around sentencing.
He said that Ms McEntee has already increased the maximum sentences that can be imposed on people for a serious assault or assault of an emergency worker during their work and minimum sentencing for murder is an area he has "asked her to give consideration to".
"That wouldn't mean a minimum sentence in all circumstances, but would give a judge the power to impose a minimum sentence if the judge finds that appropriate."
However, Mr Varadkar said that such a move would require additional prison spaces, even though this would be condemned "by the righteous".
"There is a connected piece to this and I know people don't like to talk about it. But we do need to have adequate prison places, not because I want to see a higher incarceration rate, I don't.
"With the rising population, we're going to need more prison spaces. And Minister McEntee is working on that, to provide about an extra 600 prison spaces over the next couple of years, and I know it's not popular to talk about it.
"I'm sure I'll be denounced by the righteous ones and various others for even suggesting this, but if people want dangerous people locked up for a long time, we're going to need more room in our prisons."
Speaking to the media after Mr Varadkar had concluded, Justice Minister Helen McEntee said that she currently has a proposal in her department intended to address this.
"Essentially [it would] allow a judge in certain circumstances - so that potentially means life sentences could include rapes, assaults, sexual abuse - in those instances where a judge felt that the crime was particularly heinous, particularly horrendous, that they could recommend to the parole board that the person might not come before the parole board for 20 years or potentially longer.
"At the moment, we know the person must come before the parole board after 12 years. We've increased that from seven years and the average time a person spends in prison on a life sentence is about 19 years," she said.
"But I think there's an acknowledgment that certain crimes potentially should have a higher sentence. That body of work is done. I do hope to bring it forward and legislation, but I won't be able to do it this year."
Ms McEntee said that the plan would not be aimed at "tying anyone's hands"
"It's about making sure the person who was hearing all of the evidence who is understanding exactly what has happened, that they would be in a position to make this recommendation to the parole board. I think the judge is the best person to do so."
Ms McEntee said that she has begun plans to expand prison places but did not say if this would entail building new facilities.
"We haven't expanded this in a number of years albeit we have introduced 200 refurbished or additional places just in the last few years. The plan is to progress in additional 600 spaces. This is to acknowledge not just our increasing population, but as I said the fact that we haven't increased it significantly in years, that is spread across four different prison estates. There's a significant amount of work already done in terms of plans."
Thornton Hall in north Dublin was purchased in the mid-2000s to be the location for a large-scale prison to replace Mountjoy.
However, despite more than €50m being spent on purchasing and servicing the site, a brick has never been laid, and recent valuations suggested the site was worth just a fraction of its purchase price.
Yesterday, Jozef Puska was given the mandatory life sentence in prison for the murder of schoolteacher Ashling Murphy in Co Offaly last year.
Puska, 33, with an address at Lynally Grove, Mucklagh, Co Offaly, had pleaded not guilty to murdering Ms Murphy at Cappincur, Tullamore, Co Offaly on January 12, 2022.