Irish Prison Service Research Articles

‘Violence is all he knew, and it seemed to work’: using the power threat meaning framework to explore prison officers’ understandings of violence in Irish prisons

ABSTRACT In 2018 the Irish Prison Service (IPS) opened the National Violence Reduction Unit (NVRU), becoming home to all prisoners managed under the Violently Disruptive Prisoner (VDP) policy, who were repeatedly engaged in serious violence in prison. Embedded in the NVRU is a joint operational-psychological approach, aiming to understanding the violence of these prisoners, and work with them to reduce it. This study explored NVRU prison officers’ understandings of the origins, experiences and expressions of the violence of NVRU prisoners, through the Power Threat Meaning Framework (PTMF). Prison officers (n = 13) participated in semi-structured interviews at two time-points: 6 months after the NVRU opening (n = 13), and 12 months after the NVRU opening (n = 11). From these aggregated transcripts (n = 24), 6 themes were identified: (1) power, (2) threat, (3) meaning, (4) threat response, (5) function of threat response, and (6) moderating factors. Prison officers confirmed many a priori elements of the existing provisional PTMF, whilst also contributing novel elements related to their subjective understandings of this specific cohort. These findings are interpreted in the context of existing empirical research. Implications for future research, and policy and practice within and beyond the NVRU, are suggested.

An Exploration of the Capacity to Mentalize Following an Introductory Mentalization Based Treatment Group within an Irish Prison Service

ABSTRACT Objectives This study explored participant experience of mentalization after the completion of an introductory MBT group within an Irish prison. Methods Data were collected from four participants using semi-structured interviews which were analyzed according to IPA methodology. Results Four group experiential themes were identified from the data: making sense of difficulties with emotions in the context of early life experiences, learning to feel and manage emotions, keeping other minds in mind and mentalizing in practice. Conclusions This study adds to the wider qualitative literature on MBT and presents a unique insight into participant experiences of developing their mentalizing capacity within a prison setting.

‘I’ve lived and bred violence my whole life’: understanding violence in the Irish Prison Service through the lens of the power threat meaning framework

ABSTRACT In 2018 the Irish Prison Service (IPS) opened the National Violence Reduction Unit (NVRU), which became home to a small amount of prisoners managed under the Violently Disruptive Prisoner (VDP) policy, who were repeatedly engaged in very serious violence in prison. The NVRU shifted practice under the VDP policy to a joint operational-psychological approach, with the aim of understanding the violent behaviour of these prisoners and working with them to reduce it. This study explored NVRU prisoners’ understandings of the origins, experiences and expressions of their violent behaviour through the lens of the Power Threat Meaning Framework (PTMF). Despite difficulties engaging this cohort, half (n = 3) of all prisoners residing in the NVRU during its first year participated in semi-structured interviews. Participants identified six themes: (1) power, (2) threat, (3) meaning, (4) threat response, (5) function of threat response and (6) moderating factors. In doing so they identified many a priori elements of the existing provisional PTMF, whilst also contributing novel elements related to their specific and subjective personal experiences. These findings are interpreted in the context of existing empirical research. Implications for future research, and policy and practice within and beyond the NVRU, are suggested.

Foreign National Prisoners and Religious Practice in Irish Prisons

AbstractThis policy and practice note will investigate the extent to which Foreign National Prisoners (FNPs) feel that religious expression is respected in Irish prisons and explore the degree to which the Irish Prison Service (IPS) facilitates these prisoners’ religious dietary preferences. Drawing on 82 semi-structured interviews across eight prisons, the findings demonstrate that while the IPS is generally progressive in accommodating FNPs’ religious needs, provision could be improved in certain respects. The policy and practice note briefly concludes that the IPS could potentially draw on some ‘promising practice’ that has been implemented with respect to religious expression and practice in other European prisons.

Serious violence in the Irish Prison Service: exploring the experiences of prison officers and prisoners under the Violently Disruptive Prisoner policy

ABSTRACT In the Irish Prison Service, prisoners repeatedly engaged in serious violence are managed under the Violently Disruptive Prisoner (VDP) policy. With the development of the National Violence Reduction Unit (NVRU), practice has shifted from being operationally-driven to the integration of a psychological perspective in the management of these prisoners. Part of an ongoing evaluation of this changing practice, this study explored the experiences of VDP policy prisoners (n = 4) and the prison officers (n = 13) working with them before practice changed. Descriptive thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews identified nine themes: (1) describing VDP policy prisoners, (2) staff characteristics and approaches, (3) describing the VDP policy regime, (4) the social environment, (5) the occupational environment, (6) function of the VDP policy, (7) impact of the VDP policy, (8) factors influencing violence, and (9) responding to violence. Results are interpreted in light of comparable research and the Power Threat Meaning Framework. Implications for policy, practice and research in the NVRU are considered.

'Cocooning' in prison during COVID-19: Findings from recent research in Ireland.

The advent of COVID-19 prompted the enforced isolation of elderly and vulnerable populations around the world, for their own safety. For people in prison, these restrictions risked compounding the isolation and harm they experienced. At the same time, the pandemic created barriers to prison oversight when it was most needed to ensure that the state upheld the rights and wellbeing of those in custody. This article reports findings from a unique collaboration in Ireland between the Office of the Inspector of Prisons - a national prison oversight body - and academic criminologists. Early in the pandemic, they cooperated to hear the voices of people 'cocooning' - isolated because of their advanced age or a medical vulnerability - in Irish prisons by providing journals to this cohort, analysing the data, and encouraging the Irish Prison Service to change practices accordingly. The findings indicated that 'cocooners' were initially ambivalent about these new restrictions, both experiencing them as a punishment akin to solitary confinement, and understanding the goal of protection. As time passed, however, participants reported a drastic impact on their mental and physical health, and implications for their (already limited) agency and relationships with others, experienced more or less severely depending on staff and management practices. The paper also discusses the implications for prison practices during and following the pandemic, understanding isolation in the penological context, and collaboration between prison oversight bodies and academics.

The experiences of young offenders (aged 18–21) on protection in an Irish prison: using an interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA)

PurposeYoung offenders are disproportionately represented in the Irish Prison Service (IPS) and are a population with complex needs and highest risk of re-offending. Subsets of young offenders in IPS are placed on Protection for their own and/or other’s safety. There is limited research regarding the experiences of young offenders, and there is none on the subjective experiences of young offenders on Protection that could be identified. This study aims to address a limitation of a previous study on the experiences of young offenders in an Irish prison (Hughes et al., 2017) by providing insight into experiences of young offenders on Protection in Mountjoy Prison.Design/methodology/approachUsing a non-experimental, qualitative, semi-structured interview design, a purposive sampling method was used, and six young offenders participated. Interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim with potentially identifiable information removed to ensure anonymity. An interpretative phenomenological analysis was applied to interpret the data.FindingsTwo superordinate themes provided an overview of the young offender’s experiences of Protection in an Irish prison: ‘Social Order on Protection’ and ‘Adjustment on Protection’.Research limitations/implicationsEven though it is a relatively small sample size, this study contributes to existing literature and considers sentence management and clinical implications.Originality/valueThis study helps to address a gap in literature by providing insight into the overall experiences of young male offenders (aged 18–21) on Protection in an Irish prison. The findings are in line with most researches, which highlight additional negative consequences of “restrictive prisons regimes” such as Protection. This study provides information to prisons for the development of best practice guidelines and better sentence management and delivery of services to young offenders on Protection.

You Have the Right to Remain Signing

This paper presents a first snapshot of what we know about how the Irish justice system responds to deaf signers. We look specifically at engagement with An Garda Síochána, the District Court and the Irish Prison Service. We draw on a body of data that stems from (i) the European Commission funded Justisigns Project, (ii) the ‘grey literature’, and (iii) a small study of how equally deaf prisoners access services available to hearing prisoners. We set out to document and benchmark provisions, mapping current practice against the requirements of the European Directives, and reflecting on how these sit with respect to the obligations outlined in the Irish Sign Language Act (2017) and the UNCRPD (2006). We identify a number of gaps arising from systemic issues such as the siloed manual recording of requests for interpreting, quality assurance protocols where interpreters are provided (e.g. the video recording of all parties), and arising from this, the limited opportunities for true evidence-led practice for all those engaged with deaf signers in the Irish justice system.

Establishing prison-led contact tracing to prevent outbreaks of COVID-19 in prisons in Ireland.

BackgroundPreventing transmission of COVID-19 within prisons is both important and challenging. The confined conditions in prisons can encourage person-to-person spread with the potential for outbreaks occurring. Contact tracing is an important contributor to the longer-term management strategy for COVID-19 in prisons as well as in the community but is highly resource-intensive. This paper describes the approach to contact tracing taken by the Irish Prison Service (IPS). MethodsThe IPS National Infection Control Team, in collaboration with the National Quality Improvement (QI) team and Health Service Executive (HSE) in Ireland, implemented a programme to develop and train in-prison contact tracing teams (CTTs). CTTs were run by prison staff with experience of working with detainees, prison IT systems and CCTV. Protocols for undertaking contact tracing for both detainee and staff cases of COVID-19 were established. ResultsAll prisons, and two support agencies, within the IPS now have fully functional in-prison CTTs. Every CTT has responded to at least one case COVID-19, undertaken contact tracing and instigated quarantine of contacts. ConclusionsA partnership approach with development of prison-led CTTs can provide an effective mechanism for contact tracing of COVID-19 cases within the prison setting.

Justice on the inside: teaching human rights and social justice to the recruit prison officers of the Irish prison service by developing professional integrity

ABSTRACT This article will outline the planning, processes, challenges and successes of a unique teaching and training program for over 1000 recruits to the Irish Prison Service (IPS), which initially took place in the Republic of Ireland between 2008 and 2013. The program was a transformative one, with a pedagogy aimed at developing Recruit Prison Officers’ (RPOs) understanding of prisoner’s rights within a justice framework. In fact, Human Rights was one of the subjects taught to officers on the program. The program is known as the Higher Certificate in Custodial Care (HCCC). This program combined the expertise of academics from that nation’s Universities and the Irish Institute of Technology sector with the traditional training approaches of the Chief Officers of the IPS. This combination of academic and practical teaching and training and mentoring was intended to broaden the scope of knowledge and competency and professional integrity of recruits to Ireland’s national prison service. The article will chart the development and implementation of this innovative educational and training program, from planning to implementation. Abbreviations IPS: Irish Prison Service; Cos: Chief Officers; ACOs: Assistant Chief Officers; RPOs: Recruit Prison Officers; IT: Institute of Technology

A Senior Management Perspective on the Policy Debate of Needle and Syringe Exchange Program Provision in Irish Prisons.

This study examined from an Irish perspective the contentious policy debate about providing clean needles to injecting drug users within prison systems; specifically, it examined the views of six senior managers who were prison health staff and security management. Research participants were generally opposed to the introduction of prison-based needle and syringe exchange programs (PNSP) in Ireland. They argued that (1) PNSP were unnecessary since injecting drug use within Irish prisons has declined significantly, (2) PNSP, by making needles freely available to prisoners, would make prisons riskier since these needles might be used as weapons against prison staff or other prisoners, and (3) PNSP might be seen as condoning illicit drug use and sending the "wrong message." It is concluded that, for the moment at least, there is little likelihood of PNSP becoming a reality in the Irish Prison Service.

‘You can't tell anyone how you really feel’: Exploring emotion management and performance among prison staff who have experienced the death of a prisoner

This article explores how prison staff manage their emotions when dealing with the death of a prisoner. It seeks to extend current understandings of emotions in prison work by exploring emotion management and performance among prison staff who have experienced a prisoner's death. It utilises Hochschild's (1983) concept of emotional labour, which has informed previous studies of emotion in prison work, and contributes to this existing research by applying extensions of Hochschild's ideas developed by Bolton (2005) and Korczynski (2003). Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 17 Irish Prison Service staff who have experienced prisoner deaths. A contribution of this article is that it demonstrates the shifting emotional practices and preoccupations of prison staff through the stages of dealing with a prisoner's death. This article finds that shared expectations regarding the management of emotional responses to prisoner deaths promote the necessity of concealing emotional vulnerabilities within and beyond the prison walls.

Deaths in custody in the Irish prison service: 5-year retrospective study of drug toxicology and unnatural deaths.

None.

Same Crime: Different Punishment? Investigating Sentencing Disparities Between Irish and Non-irish Nationals in the Irish Criminal Justice System

Irelandâ?Ts economic growth from the late 1990s prompted sustained and diverse inward migration, resulting in substantial changes in the population and reshaping the social and cultural landscape. These shifts have also been visible among those processed by the criminal justice system, with a marked increase in the number of non-Irish nationals committed to Irish prisons. International research suggests that racism is a significant issue within criminal justice systems, with ethnic minority groups often disadvantaged. Despite these findings and the growth in non-Irish national prisoners, little research has assessed the impact of racial bias on Irish sentencing outcomes. This exploratory study examines whether disparities exist between the sentencing of Irish and non-Irish defendants, using data from the Irish Prison Service. Non-Irish nationals were statistically significantly under-represented in the offence categories, â?~attempted robberyâ?T, â?~vehicle theftâ?T, â?~criminal damageâ?T, â?~robberyâ?T, â?~parking fine offencesâ?T, â?~assault causing harmâ?T, â?~intoxication in a public placeâ?T, â?~threatening behaviour in a public placeâ?T, â?~unlawful possession of drugsâ?T and â?~no television licenceâ?T. They were statistically significantly over-represented in the offence categories, â?~driving under the influenceâ?T, â?~no vehicle insuranceâ?T, â?~theftâ?T and â?~possession of drugs for sale/supply (to the value of <â,¬13,000)â?T. The implications of non-Irish national over-representation in the offence, â?~possession of drugs for sale/supply (to the value of <â,¬13,000)â?T will be explored in the discussion.

Peer Mediation Pilot Initiative in Castlerea Prison: A Process Evaluation

This paper details the development and outcomes of a pilot peer mediation initiative in Castlerea prison in County Roscommon, Ireland, in 2016-2017. A process evaluation was undertaken using desk research and qualitative discussions with peer mediators and partners to the process. This pilot included a 10-week training programme for peer mediators, the majority of whom were male Traveller prisoners in Castlerea prison. The partners to the programme are the Traveller Mediation Service (TMS), the Travellers in Prison Initiative (TPI) (see Appendix 1 for details of these services), The Irish Prison Service (IPS) and the Education and Training Board (ETB), called the ‗school‘ in Castlerea prison. The paper describes the impacts and elements of good practice of the pilot programme, as well as proposed next steps in the programme‘s implementation. It concludes that the peer mediation programme has potential for implementation across Irish prisons.

Criminal Justice in Transition: The Northern Ireland ContextA.‐M. McAlinden and C. Dwyer (Eds.). Oxford: Hart (2015) 386pp. £49.50hb ISBN 978–1849465779

Criminal Justice in Transition: The Northern Ireland ContextA.‐M. McAlinden and C. Dwyer (Eds.). Oxford: Hart (2015) 386pp. £49.50hb ISBN 978–1849465779

Conducting research in Irish prisons: A review

Research has shown the potential of using the accounts of offenders as a first hand data source (Canter and Ioannou, 2004; Synnott, Canter, Youngs and Ioannou, 2015). Although a a large body of literature relating to incarcerated offenders exists, very few publications document or provide guidance concerning the challenges and strategies for researchers conducting studies within prisons (Apa et al., 2012). The aim of this article is to outline the processes involved in carrying out research interviews in prisons. For the purpose of this article the Irish Prison Service (IPS) protocol will be used as an example.

From custody to community: Development of assessment and treatment for juveniles serving sentences for sex offences in an Irish context

The Baseline Project provided an assessment package and treatment for juveniles (aged 16–21 years) serving sentences for sexual offences, and was the only such programme available in Ireland (ROI). It was a venture between the Northside Inter-Agency Project and the Psychology Department of the Irish Prison Service and worked with juveniles on a continuum from custody to community. The Project piloted the provision of a rolling group programme to a generic group (n=42), those with sexually deviant histories (n=11) and five individuals convicted of sexual offences, who also engaged in individual work. The Project was evaluated through qualitative interviews and individual case studies. Findings suggested the importance of targeting criminogenic and sexual risk factors with this population and of a partnership approach with families/partners and agencies to enable the juvenile to maintain change post-release. Suggestions for future directions for treatment of juveniles are discussed.

Primary medical care in Irish prisons.

BackgroundAn industrial dispute between prison doctors and the Irish Prison Service (IPS) took place in 2004. Part of the resolution of that dispute was that an independent review of prison medical and support services be carried out by a University Department of Primary Care. The review took place in 2008 and we report here on the principal findings of that review.MethodsThis study utilised a mixed methods approach. An independent expert medical evaluator (one of the authors, DT) inspected the medical facilities, equipment and relevant custodial areas in eleven of the fourteen prisons within the IPS. Semistructured interviews took place with personnel who had operational responsibility for delivery of prison medical care. Prison doctors completed a questionnaire to elicit issues such as allocation of clinician's time, nurse and administrative support and resources available.ResultsThere was wide variation in the standard of medical facilities and infrastructure provided across the IPS. The range of medical equipment available was generally below that of the equivalent general practice scheme in the community. There is inequality within the system with regard to the ratio of doctor-contracted time relative to the size of the prison population. There is limited administrative support, with the majority of prisons not having a medical secretary. There are few psychiatric or counselling sessions available.ConclusionsPeople in prison have a wide range of medical care needs and there is evidence to suggest that these needs are being met inconsistently in Irish prisons.

A Controlled Evaluation of a Prison-Based Sexual Offender Intervention Program

The effectiveness of a prison-based cognitive behavioral program designed to modify psychological risk factors associated with sexual offending was evaluated. The Irish Prison Service Sexual Offender Intervention Programme, is a manualized 10-month Cognitive Behaviour Therapy [CBT] program involving three 2-hour group sessions per week, which are facilitated by a team of clinical psychologists and probation officers. Improvements in 38 consecutive referrals to the program were compared with the status of 38 untreated offenders who were similar in marital status, age when they left school, occupational status prior to imprisonment, offence type, presence of previous convictions, and current sentence length. All research participants completed the same assessment protocol, which evaluated psychological factors associated with sexual offending at times equivalent to pre- and postintervention. Compared with the untreated control group, program participants showed statistically significant improvement on some but not all self-report measures of cognitive distortions, empathy, interpersonal skills, self-regulation, and relapse prevention. Motivation to change among the untreated control group was not associated with change in psychological functioning in the absence of the assistance of the treatment program. Implications for sexual offender intervention delivery are considered.