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	THREE-quarters of women serving short prison sentences have experienced violence and abuse as a child or an adult, according to a new study of female offenders.</h2>
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		The survey, which examined the personal life histories of women incarcerated at Dublin&#39;s Dochas Unit at&nbsp;<a href="http://searchtopics.independent.ie/topic/Mountjoy_Prison" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding: 0px; font-size: 1em; color: rgb(92, 139, 63); margin-bottom: 0px !important;">Mountjoy Prison</a>, also reveals high rates of homelessness, depression and substance abuse &ndash; with many hooked on drugs and alcohol from as early as 11 years of age.</p>
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		Almost half of the 16 women serving short sentences &ndash; defined as between 12 and 24 weeks &ndash; who took part in the study have no formal education and had little or no history of employment.</p>
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		Most had a history of substance abuse, according to the survey carried out by the Association for Criminal Justice Research and Development (ACJRD).</p>
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		The majority of crimes committed were low-level addiction-related crimes such as theft, public order and drug offences. But re-offending rates were high, with more than half of the women having in excess of 30 charges.</p>
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		<span class="CTXempty" style="margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px; font-size: 1em; text-decoration: inherit !important; float: none !important;">The survey, aimed at tracking the needs for women ex-prisoners, was launched last night by Circuit Criminal Court Judge Mary Ellen Ring. Writing in today&#39;s&nbsp;<span id="link0" name="link0" style="margin: 0px !important; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 1px !important; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 1em; height: auto; cursor: pointer; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 153, 0); text-decoration: underline !important; color: rgb(0, 153, 0) !important;">Irish</span>&nbsp;Independent, Judge Ring says many of the report&#39;s recommendations apply equally for male prisoners.</span></p>
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		Judge Ring said the judiciary clearly had a role in the numbers of women in our prisons but &quot;the lack of alternatives ties their hands&quot;.</p>
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		&quot;The consequences of limited drug rehabilitation provision, increasing challenges in relation to housing and social provision along with repeat offending are played out in courtrooms around the country daily,&quot; said Judge Ring.</p>
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		The ACJRD has called for alternatives to custody and a gender-sensitive approach for female offenders.</p>
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		Maura Butler, ACJRD spokeswoman, said the research &ndash; funded by the St Stephen&#39;s Green Trust &ndash; was an important opportunity to listen to the voices of women ex-prisoners. &quot;Our research brings into sharp focus their enormous personal challenges,&quot; said Ms Butler.</p>
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		Last week, the director general of the Irish&nbsp;<a href="http://searchtopics.independent.ie/topic/Prison_Service" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding: 0px; font-size: 1em; color: rgb(92, 139, 63); margin-bottom: 0px !important;">Prison Service</a>&nbsp;revealed that seven out of 10 people who enter Irish prisons are unemployed. Michael Donnellan also revealed that 50pc of prisoners have never had a job.</p>
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		<a href="http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/threequarters-of-jailed-women-endured-violence-abuse-29458022.html">http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/threequarters-of-jailed-women-endured-violence-abuse-29458022.html</a></p>
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