Alison Chawke prison release raises ‘serious questions’ says Sinn Féin TD

Sinn Féin justice spokesperson Matt Carthy has said “serious questions have to be asked” about the early release from prison of Alison Chawke just four weeks into a sentence of two years and two months, the final 14 months of which were suspended.Chawke and her brother Bill Chawke, whose father is prominent publican Charlie Chawke, were convicted of assaulting two men at a hotel in Adare, Co Limerick, three years ago. The siblings pleaded guilty to the assault last month.Alison Chawke (41) of The Beeches, Holywell, Goatstown, Dublin 14, was sentenced to two years and two months, with the final 14 months suspended.Bill Chawke (31) of Merrion Street Upper, Dublin 2, was sentenced to two years and six months for the assault, with the final 12 months suspended.READ MOREAlison Chawke walked free from Limerick Prison on Tuesday, having served just a month in custody.Carthy told Newstalk Breakfast with Anton Savage on Thursday there was “value” in her early release. “It shines a light on the fact that we have a prison system that is bursting at the seams. As of yesterday, the 12th of August, there were 5,639 prisoners in a prison system that has a capacity for 4,800. There were 348 mattresses on the floors of prisons, and that’s important for a number of reasons.[ Alison Chawke released from prison four weeks into sentence for unprovoked assaultOpens in new window ]“One, it means that there are people who should be in prison today who are being released in order to create capacity. But secondly, it means that prisons can’t do their jobs, which is to ensure that we reduce recidivism. The recidivism rates in this state are among the worst across Europe.” Carthy said that of those people who will be released, “based on the latest figures that we have received, 42 per cent will reoffend within a year. For younger offenders, that figure is up on 60 per cent and up on 80 per cent if you look over a period of three years. “So we have a prison system that’s not doing its job, which means we have more people who are repeating offences once they’re released from prisons, which in turn puts pressure back on the prison system.”[ Prison population at lowest point this yearOpens in new window ] He said all of this “points to a dysfunction across the criminal justice system, particularly within the prison system where we have an overcrowding crisis that has actually worsened since Minister O’Callaghan has come to office and we have no real action from Government to address it. “And it’s one of those things that is hiding in plain sight.”