Category: Penal Policy

matt cuff web

Visit of US Penal Policy Advisor

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 »

claire hargaden

Ignatian Examen in Prison

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.

prisoner sunday

Prisoners’ Sunday

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 Prisoners Overseas

Irish Prisoners Overseas

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.

Prison 400 x 297

Ending Poverty For All Must Include Prisoners

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.

pope prisoners

Prisoner Amnesty for Papal Visit

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.

youth day 2018

Safe Spaces For Young People in Prison

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 »

Zappone 400 x 297

Grave Concerns Over Unpublished Oberstown Report

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.

Motion on Penal Reform and Sentencing Report

Dáil Motion on Penal Reform Report

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.  

Stop ignoring the chronic problems in our prisons

Rehabilitation Difficult Due To Chronic Prison Problems

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.