Hopes have been expressed that a service to support former prisoners and their families can be extended in Clare.
The Bedford Row Family Project, which officially launched an outreach service in this county earlier this year, currently operates on a part-time basis.
At any one time, there are an estimated 80 inmates in Limerick Prison, who have Clare addresses, and the number of people supported by Bedford Row in Clare has risen to around 70.
A number of funding streams, including the Courts Discretionary Fund, are now being intensively targetted in a bid to extend services in 2019.
Retired Garda Superintendent Frank Gunter is Chairperson of the Steering Committee of Bedford Row in Clare and says the model is ultimately about cutting the crime rate.
