Sinn Féin justice spokesperson Matt Carthy has said that “serious questions have to be asked” about the early release from prison of Alison Chawke just four weeks into her two years and two months sentence, which had the final 14 months suspended.
However, there was “value” in this incident, Carthy told Newstalk Breakfast with Anton Savage.
“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 several reasons.
“One, it means that there are people who should be in prison today who are being released to create capacity.
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