The Jesuit Centre for Faith and Justice has made a submission to the Youth Justice Strategy 2020-2026 as part of the public consultation phase for the development of the document. We hope to contribute to the development of a fair and effective youth justice system which responds appropriately to children and young people who… Read more »
It is less than two weeks since the Minneapolis police officer, Derek Chauvin, was caught on camera killing George Floyd, a 46-year-old African American man. Floyd, who was a father of three, an accomplished sportsman, and a devout Christian had been suspected of passing a counterfeit $20 note. Protests in the city of Minneapolis… Read more »
Reduction of the remand population is a crucial component of any overarching strategy to reduce prison numbers to a realistic level where the spread of Covid-19 can be delayed and mitigated, says Keith Adams.
Keith Adams, JCFJ Social Policy Advocate, has sent a policy briefing document to Minister Charlie Flanagan and the Department of Justice and Equality (DJE) which puts forward three proposals for how the prison population can be reduced to mitigate the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. The Jesuit Centre for Faith and Justice strongly believes… Read more »
COVID-19 has not been hindered by national borders. It is naïve to presume that walls will hinder its spread. Wherever people are found, this virus can flourish. In response to the risks posed to prisoners and prison staff, the Irish Prison Service has published an outline of how it is elevating its level of… Read more »
Despite 2019’s “green wave”, just a small percentage of the electorate says the environment is their top priority when choosing who to vote for in next month’s general election. To see it as disconnected from the other electoral issues is an error, says Kevin Hargaden.
Prison reform is not a topic that is high on the election agenda. However, the inhumane conditions of our prisons and the number of prisoners who come from backgrounds characterised by poverty and trauma should concern us as members of a modern, progressive society.
Last week, a homeless, brain-damaged man was revealed to have been on indefinite remand for over a year within the high dependency unit in Mountjoy prison. He was deemed unsuitable to stand trial. Yet, due to the cancellation of a care-plan by the HSE for “resource” issues, he was to remain imprisoned as he was… Read more »
Eoin Carroll reviews the past year in prison news, in which the JCFJ discussed the needs of young adults in prison, prisoners sleeping on cell floors, and the reliability of prison statistics. To mark Prisoners’ Sunday, we also analysed the increasing numbers on extended lock-up (19-23hrs), the Oireachtas Justice Committee’s report on penal reform, the… Read more »
Eoin Carroll reviews the past year in prison news, in which the JCFJ discussed the needs of young adults in prison, prisoners sleeping on cell floors, and the reliability of prison statistics. To mark Prisoners’ Sunday, we also analysed the increasing numbers on extended lock-up (19-23hrs), the Oireachtas Justice Committee’s report on penal reform, the… Read more »
The Jesuit Centre for Faith and Justice is calling on the Minister for Justice to conduct an immediate investigation into why so many people in prison are sleeping on mattresses when the system is operating at less than 94% capacity.
Matt Cuff is the senior policy advisor of the of the Office of Justice and Ecology (OJE) of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States. He visited Ireland recently and spent time in the Jesuit Centre for Faith and Justice (JCFJ), exchanging ideas and collaborating with our Deputy Director, Eoin Carroll. They aim… Read more »
The Ignatian Examen is a five-part spiritual exercise which Jesuits do twice daily. It also offers benefits to others, including prisoners. Claire Hargaden reflects on the practice.
Prisoners’ Sunday is an opportunity to pause, reflect and pray for the men, women and children in prison and detention. The following short reflection by Eoin Carroll touches upon some key moments in the prison landscape over the past year.
Irish citizens who are in prison overseas face lengthy delays to have their applications to be transferred home processed. This must change, says Ciara Kirrane of the ICPO.
The first of the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals commits to ending poverty in all forms everywhere. If we are to take this seriously it needs to include people in prison and their families, says Eoin Carroll.
Eoin Carroll’s article in the Irish Times looks back to the arrival of John Paul II in 1979, when 76 prisoners were granted early release, and questions why there is no mention of an amnesty to coincide with the visit of Pope Francis.
The theme of International Youth Day 2018 is Safe Spaces for Youth, something that resonates strongly with the work in prison and penal reform that the Jesuit Centre for Faith and Justice is involved in. The centre has long been an advocate for changes in the prison system for young adults, whom we view as… Read more »
Minister for Children Katherine Zappone has decided not to publish the report into the 2016 review of Oberstown detention centre, which included a contribution from the Jesuit Centre for Faith and Justice.
A motion on the ‘Report on Penal Reform and Sentencing’ of the Joint Committee on Justice and Equality, came before the Dáil to be debated on Thursday, 28 Jun 2018. The JCFJ was one of the stakeholder groups that made a contribution to the report and we eagerly await its progession.
The Irish Prison Service and the Minister for Justice and Equality must stop ignoring chronic problems in our prisons including overcrowding, extended lock-up and a lack of provision for young adults, says the JCFJ, in response to today’s [25 June 2018] launch of the Irish Prison Service’s Annual Report for 2017.
The launch of the Penal Reform and Sentencing Report took place yesterday [10 May 2018] in Leinster House, and was attended by representatives from key stakeholders including the Jesuit Centre for Faith and Justice (JCFJ).
Walking out the prison door is a particularly vulnerable time for people and support is needed. Ten years after introducing a pilot Integrated Sentence Management (ISM) programme, which aimed to be ‘prisoner-centred’ and have a ‘multidisciplinary approach’, what progress has been made in preparing people for leaving prison?
Minister for Justice and Equality, Charlie Flanagan will launch the Association for Criminal Justice Research and Development (ACJRD) 20th Annual Conference Report ‘The Brexit Impact on Criminal Justice Cooperation in Ireland’ on Tuesday, April 17th at the Criminal Courts of Justice.
This Mothers’ Day, we think of mothers who have partners in prison. The families of individuals who are in prison have done nothing wrong, yet experience massive hardship as a result, including shame, isolation and for children, the trauma of separation from a parent.
Working Notes is a journal published by the Jesuit Centre for Faith and Justice. The journal focuses on social, economic and theological analysis of Irish society. It has been produced since 1987.
