On 19 November 2012, the Irish Penal Reform Trust’s report, Picking up the pieces, was officially launched by the Ombudsman for Children, Emily Logan, in the office of the Ombudsman for Children in Dublin.
The 48 page report on the rights, needs and experiences of families and children of prisoners, is the culmination of six month research which involved consultations with children, families, support services and other relevant agencies.
The report looks at children and family rights under the Irish Constitution, the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), and concludes that the Irish criminal justice system is failing to adequately safeguard the rights of children and families of prisoners.
The Report’s key findings include:
· There is a lack of policy in this area at national level to minimise the negative impact on children and families;
· There is a lack of information for families at sentencing stage;
· There is a lack of child-friendly visiting areas in many prisons;
· The father – child relationship is often neglected and needs to be facilitated;
· Non-contact and screened visits have a negative impact on children; and
· Children with a parent in prison are more likely to end up in prison and are twice as likely to have mental health problems over the course of their lifetime.
Recommendations include, the establishment of an national agency to help families of prisoners; improving visiting conditions for families; facilitating correspondence ; the use of temporary release on a more regular basis for the purpose of maintaining family ties; and ensuring that there is a structured release plan when a person returns from prison. Where possible the IPRT recommends that alternatives to custody should be used where it is in the best interests of the child.
Children of prisoners were reported to be the “hidden” victims of the penal system and the IPRT says it important to raise awareness of the impact of imprisonment on children in schools, the media and the community in order to reduce the stigma associated with imprisonment.
Speaking at the launch, IPRT Executive Director Liam Herrick said “While our work is focused around the human rights of prisoners, we have found that prisoners are often more concerned about the impact of their imprisonment on their families. While prison necessarily balances security issues with human rights considerations, this report is highlighting that there is a third dimension not being taken into account: the effects that imprisonment of a family members has on innocent families and, in particular, children. The international evidence is clear that, for society, failure to support families can have serious social and economic costs into the future.”
Click here to view an IPRT press release:
Click here to read a news article on the report and another
In other news, the Irish Immigrant Support Centre, Nasc, launched its report on 27th November entitled Stop the Silence: A Snapshot of Racism in Cork
According to the report, four in five victims of racism fail to report it, with nearly one in three not realising that laws exist to protect them against such incidents. 55 per cent of the 171 people surveyed believed racism to be an issue in Cork, rising to 62.3 per where they were of African origin.
Fiona Finn, CEO of Nasc, said that while the report was related to racism in Cork, it was “important to recognise that it’s an issue all over Ireland and Europe.”
Click here to read the full report:
Click here to read a Journal news article on the report and an RTE news article.