The killers of Detective Garda Gerry MCCabe will not be among the 250 prisoners that are being released for Christmas. It's understood the five men are not to be granted temporary release over the Christmas period. The Minister for Justice announced today that 250 prisoners are to be granted varying periods of temporary release under the 1960 Criminal Justice Act.
This is roughly 8% of the prison population. The numbers released for Christmas in 1999 and 1998 were 303 and 282 respectively. Many of the prisoners are nearing the end of their sentences while others are serving relatively short sentences. The periods of release range from a few hours to two weeks. The overriding concern in considering applications for Christmas release from prisoners is the safety of the public.
The periods of release vary from a few hours up to two weeks. In some cases the prisoners will be accompanied by another responsible person or in exceptional cases, by an escort. All releases are subject to stringent conditions, which in the vast majority of cases includes a requirement to report on a regular basis to his/her Garda station. Any offender who breaks these conditions may be arrested and returned immediately to prison by the Gardaí.
