You steal a can of beer or damage an abandoned bike. Should you be jailed?

We have an obligation to those we punish by imprisonment to minimise the collateral consequences of the pain we inflict upon them. Photograph: Gareth Chaney/ Collins PhotosShort prison sentences do more harm than good. Yet they continue to be handed down all too often in Irish courtrooms.

Clogging up the prisons with minor offenders is expensive. It takes little effort to imagine better ways to spend the €7,000 monthly cost of a prison place. In some cases, they would rather give a non-custodial sentence but the resources to support, say community service or restorative justice, are underdeveloped in their area. In others, they are benevolently inclined, believing that a vulnerable person will have access in prison to services denied them at liberty.

One person walked out of a shop wearing an item of clothing that should have been paid for. Another stole alcohol by stuffing cans of beer into his coat sleeve. A third damaged an abandoned bicycle frame. All were struggling with addiction and homelessness. All acknowledged the poor choices they had made and the wrong they had done. All regretted the direction their lives had taken. None wallowed in self-pity. All could have been dealt with differently.

Mountjoy-Prison Garda-Siochana

Ireland Latest News, Ireland Headlines

Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.

Steal Her Style: Cat Deeley's stunning gold jeans from River islandMaking her return to the ITV show, Cat Deeley dazzled viewers in a pair of striking gold high rise River Island jeans, following a brief Easter break from the show
Source: RSVPMagazine - 🏆 7. / 76 Read more »

Steal Muireann O Connell's style with this stunning waistcoat from M&SIreland AM's Muireann O'Connell always know how to pull a look together, and her timeless waistcoat and jeans outfit is no different - and now you can steal her style
Source: RSVPMagazine - 🏆 7. / 76 Read more »

Andrew Scott's arms steal the show at Met GalaAndrew Scott arms stole the show at Met Gala on Monday night. He walked the steps with the one and only Donnatella Versace!
Source: VIP Magazine - 🏆 24. / 51 Read more »

Ex-pastor jailed for theft of €125k from Kildare churchA former pastor who engaged in theft and fraud to steal more than €125,000 from his own Kildare-based church has been sentenced to six-and-a-half years in prison.
Source: rtenews - 🏆 1. / 99 Read more »

Ex-pastor jailed for theft of €125k from Kildare churchA former pastor who engaged in theft and fraud to steal more than €125,000 from his own Kildare-based church has been sentenced to six-and-a-half years in prison.
Source: rtenews - 🏆 1. / 99 Read more »

Member of Hutch family jailed for attempted robbery of woman in Dublin city centreAlan Hutch (41) pleaded guilty to trying to steal €100 from victim at ATM on Talbot Street last year
Source: IrishTimes - 🏆 3. / 98 Read more »