Irish Prison Research Articles

The seroprevalence of untreated chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and associated risk factors in male Irish prisoners: a cross-sectional study, 2017.

IntroductionData on chronic hepatitis C (HCV) infection prevalence in European prisons are incomplete and impact the public health opportunity that incarceration provides.AimsWe aimed to estimate the seroprevalence of untreated chronic HCV infection and to identify associated risk factors in an Irish male prison.MethodsWe conducted a cross-sectional study involving a researcher-administered questionnaire, review of medical records and HCV serology.ResultsOf 422 prisoners (78.0% of the study population) who participated in the study, 298 (70.6%) completed the questionnaire and 403 (95.5%) were tested for HCV antibodies. Of those tested, 92 (22.8%) were HCV antibody-positive, and of those, 53 (57.6%) were HCV RNA-positive, 23 (25.0%) had spontaneous clearance, 16 (17.4%) had a sustained viral response, 10 (11.0%) were co-infected with HIV and six (6.0%) with HBV. The untreated chronic HCV seroprevalence estimate was 13.1% and the seroprevalence of HCV among prisoners with a history of injecting drug use (IDU) was 79.7%. Risk factors significantly associated with past HCV infection were IDU (p < 0.0001), having received a prison tattoo (p < 0.0001) or a non-sterile community tattoo (p < 0.0001), sharing needles and other drug-taking paraphernalia (p < 0.0001). Small numbers of prisoners had a history of sharing razors (n=10; 3.4%) and toothbrushes (n=3; 1.0%) while incarcerated. On multivariable analysis, history of receiving a non-sterile community tattoo was the only significant risk factor associated with HCV acquisition (after IDU was removed from the model) (p = 0.005, β = 0.468).ConclusionThe level of untreated chronic HCV infection in Irish prisons is high, with IDU the main associated risk.

Trends in addiction treatment in Irish prisons using national surveillance data, 2009-2014.

Many studies show that incarcerated populations have higher rates of problem drug use than the general population. The purpose of this paper is to analyse trends in addiction treatment demand in prisons in Ireland from 2009 to 2014 using available national surveillance data in order to identify any implications for practice and policy. National surveillance data on treatment episodes for problem drug and alcohol use from 2009 to 2014, collected annually by the National Drug Treatment Reporting System (NDTRS), were analysed. In total, 6 per cent of all treatment episodes recorded by the NDTRS between 2009 and 2014 were from prison services. The number of prison service treatment episodes increased from 964 in 2009 to 1,063 in 2014. Opiates were the main reason for treatment, followed by alcohol, cocaine and cannabis. The majority (94-98 per cent) of treatment episodes involved males (median age of 29 years) and low educational attainment, with 79.5-85.1 per cent leaving school before completion of second level. The percentage of treatment episodes with a history of ever injecting drugs increased from 20.9 per cent in 2009 to 31.0 per cent in 2014. This study can help policy development and service planning in addiction treatment in prison as it provides an insight into the potential needs of incarcerated populations. It also provides a baseline from which to measure any changes in provision of treatment in prison over time. This is the first study to analyse treatment episodes in prison using routine surveillance data in Ireland. Analysis of these data can provide useful information, not currently available elsewhere.

Mental healthcare interfaces in a regional Irish prison

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to study the demographic, clinical characteristics and outcomes for those prisoners referred to secondary mental healthcare in a regional Irish prison and the proportion of individuals diverted subsequently from prison to psychiatric settings.Design/methodology/approachThe authors conducted a retrospective review of 130 successive psychiatric assessment case records at a regional mixed gender prison serving six southern Irish counties. The authors analysed demographics, clinical characteristics and outcomes. Where diversion out of prison was undertaken, Dangerousness, Understanding, Recovery and Urgency Manual (DUNDRUM) scores were retrospectively completed to assess security need.FindingsIn total, 8.6 per cent of all committals from liberty were referred by a general practitioner and 8.1 per cent subsequently assessed by the visiting psychiatrist. Predominantly, these were young males charged with a violent offence. In all, 42.2 per cent of those assessed by secondary care were diagnosed with a substance misuse disorder and 21.1 per cent with a personality disorder. In total, 20.3 per cent suffered from a psychotic disorder and 10.6 per cent with an affective disorder. Of those seen by psychiatric services, 51.2 per cent required psychotropic medication, 29.2 per cent required psychological input and 59.3 per cent required addiction counselling. In all, 10.6 per cent of those assessed were diverted from prison, the majority to approved centres. Mean DUNDRUM-1 scores suggested that those referred to high and medium secure hospitals were appropriately placed, whereas those diverted to open wards would have benefited from a low secure/intensive care setting.Originality/valueThe multifaceted need set of those referred strengthens the argument for the provision of multidisciplinary mental healthcare into prisons. The analysis of security needs for those diverted from prisons supports the need for Intensive Care Regional Units in Ireland.

Identity, Hard Sums and Butterflies

This article examines mathematics education in the Irish prison system, and the impact that learning mathematics and receiving certification has on the identity of those studying so-called ‘hard sums.' It describes the lived experiences of people who have taken classes in prison, reflects on why they came to these classes to begin with, charts their emotions, and how they express their new identities as students. This article draws from earlier studies into the experiences of former prisoners who are currently engaged in higher level education, and who reflected on the effects that learning had on their identities: as parents, as sons or daughters, as citizens, as students. The article looks at how their experiences contrast with the experiences of other mature students returning to education in other higher and further education settings. National certification is available to everyone attending education in prison in Ireland, and this article reflects on the impact that certification has on the identity of the prisoner. It will show that in prison, a small step in the right direction at the right time can lead to identity change, akin to a transformation from cocoon to butterfly. The author has taught for many years in prison education centres, and is currently researching mathematics education in prisons, from different perspectives including mathematical self-efficacy, grit and resilience and the impact of mathematics education on the identity of the individual.

A novel care pathway for prisoners with intellectual disability designed through a Delphi process.

Individuals with an intellectual disability (ID) form a significant minority in the Irish prison population and worldwide prison populations. There is growing recognition that specialist services for such individuals are in need of development. The purpose of this paper is to propose a care pathway for the management of individuals with an ID who present in prison, based on expert elicitation and consensus. A convenience sample of professionals with a special interest in forensic intellectual disabilities was invited to participate in a Delphi exercise. In total, 12 agreed to participation and 10 subsequently completed the study (83.3 per cent). Expert views were elicited using a semi-structured questionnaire. Content analysis was completed using NVivo 11 software. A care pathway was subsequently proposed, based on the outcomes of the analysis, and circulated to participants for debate and consensus. A consensus was reached on management considerations. Ten experts across a range of disciplines with a combined experience of 187 years participated in the study. Current provision of care was seen as limited and geographically variable. The vulnerability of prisoners with ID was highlighted. The need for equivalence of care with the community through multidisciplinary input and development of specialist secure and residential placements to facilitate diversion was identified. Consensus was achieved on a proposed care pathway. This study proposes a care pathway for the assessment and management of prisoners with an ID and is, therefore, potentially relevant to those interested in this topic internationally who may similarly struggle with the current lack of decision-making tools for this setting. Although written from an Irish perspective, it outlines key considerations for psychiatrists in keeping with international guidance and, therefore, may be generalisable to other jurisdictions.

Hepatitis C virus screening and treatment in Irish prisons from a governor and prison officer perspective - a qualitative exploration

BackgroundPrisons are a key location to access Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) infected people who inject drugs (PWID). Prison health care structures are complex and optimising health care delivery to this high need, marginalised and underserved population remains challenging. Despite international guidelines recommending that prisons are a priority location for HCV screening and treatment levels of prisoner engagement in HCV care remain low. Competing priorities between security and healthcare is a key feature of prison health care. A collaborative approach to health care delivery in prisons can maximise the benefits for prisoners, staff and the wider community.AimTo identify the barriers and enablers to HCV screening and treatment in Irish prisons and inform the implementation of a HCV screening program within the Irish Prison Services (IPS).MethodsQualitative study using focus group methodology underpinned by grounded theory.ResultsThe following themes emerged from the analysis: priority of safety and security, staffing and resources, concerns about personal risk, lack of knowledge, concerns around confidentiality, prisoners’ fear of treatment and stigma, timing of screening, use of peer workers, in-reach hepatology and fibroscanning services. The primary role of prison security is to ensure the safety of staff and prisoners with a secondary but important supporting role in health care delivery. Maintaining adequate staffing levels and the provision of training and education were seen as priorities and impacted on prison officers’ fear for personal safety and risk of HCV transmission. Opt-out screening and peer support workers had high levels of support among participants.ConclusionUpscaling HCV management in prisons requires an in-depth understanding of all barriers and facilitators to HCV screening and treatment. Engaging prison officers in the planning and delivery of health care initiatives is a key strategy to optimising the public health opportunity that prisons provides.

Barriers and facilitators to hepatitis C (HCV) screening and treatment\u2014a description of prisoners\u2019 perspective

BackgroundHepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a global epidemic with an estimated 71 million people infected worldwide. People who inject drugs (PWID) are overrepresented in prison populations globally and have higher levels of HCV infection than the general population. Despite increased access to primary health care while in prison, many HCV infected prisoners do not engage with screening or treatment. With recent advances in treatment regimes, HCV in now a curable and preventable disease and prisons provide an ideal opportunity to engage this hard to reach population.AimTo identify barriers and enablers to HCV screening and treatment in prisons.MethodsA qualitative study of four prisoner focus groups (n = 46) conducted at two prison settings in Dublin, Ireland.ResultsThe following barriers to HCV screening and treatment were identified: lack of knowledge, concerns regarding confidentiality and stigma experienced and inconsistent and delayed access to prison health services. Enablers identified included; access to health care, opt-out screening at committal, peer support, and stability of prison life which removed many of the competing priorities associated with life on the outside. Unique blocks and enablers to HCV treatment reported were fear of treatment and having a liver biopsy, the requirement to go to hospital and in-reach hepatology services and fibroscanning.ConclusionThe many barriers and enablers to HCV screening and treatment reported by Irish prisoners will inform both national and international public health HCV elimination strategies. Incarceration provides a unique opportunity to upscale HCV treatment and linkage to the community would support effectiveness.

Intellectual disability in Irish prisoners: systematic review of prevalence

PurposeWhile individuals with an intellectual disability form a significant minority in the worldwide prison population, their healthcare needs require specialist attention. In Ireland, services for prisoners with intellectual disabilities need development. However, there is little substantive data estimating the prevalence of intellectual disabilities within the Irish prison system. The paper aims to discuss these issues.Design/methodology/approachThe authors systematically review published data relating to the prevalence of intellectual disabilities in prisons in the Republic of Ireland. The authors searched four databases, governmental websites and corresponded with experts.FindingsLittle published data were elicited from searches except for one nationwide cross-sectional survey which reflected a higher prevalence than reported in international studies. Studies from forensic mental health populations are narrated to contextualise findings.Originality/valueThis study found that there is little data to accurately estimate the prevalence of intellectual disabilities in the Irish prison system and the limited data available suggests that this is likely to be higher than international estimates. The authors highlight the need for further research to accurately estimate prevalence in this jurisdiction, alongside the need to develop screening and care pathways for prisoners with an intellectual disability.

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

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Cognitive Group Therapy Based on Schema-Focused Approach for Reducing Depression in Prisoners Living With HIV.

Depression is one the most common mental disorders in prisons. People living with HIV are more likely to develop psychological difficulties when compared with the general population. This study aims to determine the efficacy of cognitive group therapy based on schema-focused approach in reducing depression in prisoners living with HIV. The design of this study was between-groups (or "independent measures"). It was conducted with pretest, posttest, and waiting list control group. The research population comprised all prisoners living with HIV in a men's prison in Iran. Based on voluntary desire, screening, and inclusion criteria, 42 prisoners living with HIV participated in this study. They were randomly assigned to an experimental group (21 prisoners) and waiting list control group (21 prisoners). The experimental group received 11 sessions of schema-focused cognitive group therapy, while the waiting list control group received the treatment after the completion of the study. The various groups were evaluated in terms of depression. ANCOVA models were employed to test the study hypotheses. Collated results indicated that depression was reduced among prisoners in the experimental group. Schema therapy (ST) could reduce depression among prisoners living with HIV/AIDS.

Broken Minds and Beaten Bodies: Cultures of Harm and the Management of Mental Illness in Mid- to Late Nineteenth-century English and Irish Prisons.

SummaryThis article explores the relationship between the prison and mental illness, focusing on the ways in which the system of separate confinement was associated with mental breakdown and how maintaining the integrity of prison discipline mitigated against prisoners obtaining treatment or removal to an asylum. Examples are taken from English and Irish prisons, from the introduction of separate confinement at Pentonville Prison in London in 1842 until the late nineteenth century, exploring the persistence of the system of separation in the face of evidence that it was harming the minds of prisoners. The article also briefly examines the ways in which prison doctors argued that they were dealing with special categories of prisoner, adept at feigning, intrinsically weak-minded and whose mental deterioration was embedded in their criminality, factors that served to reinforce the harmful environment for mentally ill prisoners.

Prevalence and risk factors for HBV and HCV in prisoners in Iran: a national bio‐behavioural surveillance survey in 2015

To provide more accurate estimates of the prevalence of Hepatitis B (HBV) and Hepatitis C (HCV) and their contributing factors among prisoners in Iran. Cross-sectional study of 6200 Iranian prisoners in 2015. Data were collected through questionnaires and interviews. HBV infection and HCV exposure status of the participants was determined by HBsAg and HCV antibodies blood tests using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Data were analysed in STATA-12. Prevalence of HCV exposure was 9.48% (95% CI: 8.73-10.27), and prevalence of HBV was 2.48% (95% CI: 2.07-2.89) in the general prison population. In multivariate analysis, the most important risk factor for HBV was a history of drug use in lifetime (adjusted odds ratio, AOR: 1.8, 95% CI: 1.17-3.02). The main risk factors for HCV exposure were a history of drug use in lifetime (AOR: 4.08, CI: 2.56-6.27), age over 30 (AOR: 2.68, CI: 2.01-3.56), and having tattoos (AOR=1.67, CI: 1.35-2.07). Although vaccination is used to control HBV among prisoners, prevalence of HCV exposure is alarming in the prison population of Iran, especially among people who inject drugs. Eliminating viral hepatitis in Iran by 2030 requires a national commitment and rapid measures for targeting this high-risk group. Given the increased efficiency of HCV treatment in recent years, prisons provide an opportunity to access patients for treatment.

The prevalence of major mental illness, substance misuse and homelessness in Irish prisoners: systematic review and meta-analyses.

Healthcare databases were searched for studies quantifying the point prevalence for each outcome of interest. Searches were augmented by scanning of bibliographies and searches of governmental and non-governmental websites. Proportional meta-analyses were completed for each outcome. We found eight, six and five studies quantifying the point prevalence of major mental illness, substance misuse, and homelessness respectively. Considerable heterogeneity was found for each subgroup (except psychosis where substantial heterogeneity was observed) and random effects models were used to calculate pooled percentages. The pooled percentage for psychotic disorder was 3.6% [95% confidence interval (CI) 3.0-4.2%], for affective disorder 4.3% (95% CI 2.1-7.1%), for alcohol use disorder 28.3% (95% CI 19.9-37.4%), for substance use disorder 50.9% (95% CI 37.6-64.2%) and for those who were homeless on committal 17.4% (95% CI 8.7-28.4%). Estimates for the prevalence of psychotic illness and substance abuse amongst Irish prisoners are in keeping with international estimates of morbidity in prisons, whilst those for affective disorders are lower. The prevalence of homelessness in committal to Irish prisons is higher than some international estimates. Rates for psychoses, alcohol and substance misuse as well as homelessness in Irish prisons are significantly higher than the general population prevalence of these vulnerabilities. A need for service development is discussed.

Comparing Tuberculosis Incidence in a Prison with the Society, Tehran, Iran

Objectives: We conducted this study to compare the tuberculosis (TB) incidence in an Iranian prison with the society in Iran. Methods: In this present study, we investigated the incidence of TB among prisoners versus the society by an age range of 23 to 49 years. We used an active case finding (ACF) strategy as a screening method to find TB suspected prisoners in the Great Tehran Prison from October 2013 to May 2014. Results: In the total of 5865 prisoners, only nine patients were diagnosed with TB while 2263 out of 4503516 individuals of the society had TB in this period of time. Statistical analyses showed that out of 100,000 people there were 153.5 patients detected in the prison and 5.02 patients in the society. Therefore, the incidence of TB in the prison was significantly more than the society (P < 0.0001). The ratio of TB incidence in the prison to the society was 30.6 (95% CI: 16 - 58). Conclusions: The incidence of TB in prisons is significantly more than society. Thus, TB management needs providing preventive measures such as intensifying case findings in prisons.

One Bold Deed of Open Treason: The Berlin Diary of Roger Casement 1914–1916 by Angus Mitchell (review)

One Bold Deed of Open Treason: The Berlin Diary of Roger Casement 1914–1916, Angus Mitchell (ed.), (Sallins Co. Kildare: Merrion Press, 2016), 280 pages. Roger Casement’s ancestors moved from the Isle of Man to Antrim in the early years of the eighteenth century and, later on, different branches held lands in Antrim and Wicklow. He himself is usually categorised as AngloIrish , which suggests money and privilege, but in his own family money was always scarce. The plaque commemorating his birth can still be seen in Sandycove, a suburb of Dublin, where he was born in 1864. Both his parents died by the time he was thirteen and the four orphaned children were taken in by their uncle, John, who lived near Ballycastle, Co. Antrim. Roger attended school in Ballymena where, of all places, he learned to love the Irish language. After a brief sojourn in Liverpool, where his cousins lived, he got a job with the International African Association, an organisation established by King Leopold to implement his interests in Africa. There he became one of the pioneer officers of what became the Congo Free State. In 1892 he was spotted by the British Foreign Office. Having been recruited as a customs officer, for three years he helped to establish British authority in the Niger Delta region. In view of his later unstinting praise of German ‘civilisation’, it is interesting to note that, in one of his first reports, he condemned the German authorities for their severe retaliation against insurgents in Cameroon. His career followed an upward curve and, after service in Mozambique and South Africa, he became British Consul in the Congo (1899–1902) and soon grew aware of the atrocities carried out there by Leopold’s Force Publique. He helped to found the Congo Reform Association, which had as its aims the restoration of land rights to the people of the Congo and the implementation of humane administration. Its report infuriated Leopold, who spent a fortune in England and America in an effort to silence Casement. Plans to extend the association’s remit were overtaken by events when the First World War broke out. He was next sent to South America to investigate alleged atrocities in the rubber plantations and, in 1909, he was made Consul General. In 1910 stories of a brutal regime of slavery inflicted on the indigenous people of the Putumayo District emerged and Casement was sent with a five-man commission to investigate the allegations. His journal maps a litany of Studies • volume 107 • number 425 123 Spring 2018: Book Reviews abuses: mass killings, torture, sexual violation, floggings and acts of public humiliation. He presented his case to the US President, William Howard Taft, who was able to put pressure on the Peruvian government and a mutually agreeable way forward was found. So famous did Casement’s ‘Blue Book’, as his report was known, become that the Pope issued an encyclical advocating protection of the indigenous people of Putumayo. For such services to the crown, Casement was knighted in 1911. The reader may well be puzzled as to how such a loyal servant could become an Irish revolutionary in the space of just a few years. There was, in fact, quite an overlap among his concerns. Always an Irish language enthusiast and intellectual, he had joined Arthur Griffith’s separatist movement, Sinn Féin, in 1904 and his travels, which were very extensive, had made him completely disillusioned with imperialism. He longed for the political and cultural separation of England and Ireland and, abandoning the methods chosen by O’Connell and Parnell, soon embraced violence as the only way to achieve his purpose. The mention of diaries in relation to Casement usually brings to mind the famous so-called ‘Black Diaries’ which (forged or not), ‘outed’ him as a homosexual and were used by the British authorities to blacken his name in ‘Catholic’ Ireland, allowing them to hang him with as little fuss as possible. The diaries in this book describe the period 1914–16, when he visited Germany in an attempt to raise an Irish regiment from among Irish prisoners of war and commit Germany to support an Irish rebellion. He...

Developing a Child’s Right to Effective Contact with a Father in Prison—An Irish Perspective

ABSTRACTRecent years have witnessed a gradual increase in international research on the effects of parental incarceration on families and prisoners both in the short, medium and long term. However, the rights of children with a parent in prison is a subject which, in the Irish context at least, has been ill considered to date by policy and law makers. Research has shown that the consequences of failing to support this group of children can be adverse, not only for children concerned, but also for families and society more generally. Policy and practice development in supporting the child/parent relationship has primarily focused on mothers, with the consequential underplaying of the importance of the father/child relationship from the father’s point of view as well as that of the child. Between 2015 and 2016, a national qualitative study, the first of its kind conducted in the Republic of Ireland, aimed to explore professional perspectives of those working in the Irish prison system on the extent to which the rights of children with a parent in prison are recognised and protected during prison visits. A small number of family members were interviewed to give some insight into the experiences of children and families. Thus, the findings of this study as they relate to the child’s right to contact specifically will be presented and considered. This article adopts a children’s rights framework to consider the challenges involved in realising the rights of a child when their father is in prison. Furthermore, by benchmarking current Irish practices against international and regional standards as far as child/father visits are concerned, it seeks to provide a snapshot of the extent to which the rights of children with a parent in prison are protected in the Republic of Ireland.

Underreporting in HIV-related high-risk behaviors: comparing the results of multiple data collection methods in a behavioral survey of prisoners in Iran.

We explored the potentials of using three indirect methods including crosswise, proxy respondent method, and network scale-up (NSU) in comparison to direct questioning in collecting sensitive and socially stigmatized HIV-related risk behaviors information from prisoners (N=265). Participants reported more sexual contact in prison for their friends than they did for themselves (10.6% vs. 3.8% in men, 13.7% vs. 0% in women). In men, NSU provided lower estimates than direct questioning, while in women NSU estimates were higher. Different data collection methods provide different estimates, and collectively offer a more comprehensive picture of HIV-related risk behaviors in prisons.

Handwritten Rebellion: Autograph Albums of Irish Republican Prisoners in Frognach

Handwritten Rebellion:Autograph Albums of Irish Republican Prisoners in Frongoch Marguerite Helmers Click for larger view View full resolution Figure 1. "This book was lifted for a joke out of Cook House. Return to Paul Cusack." Internment Camp Autograph Book Belonging to Paul Cusack. Kenneth Spencer Research Library, University of Kansas, MS K18. [End Page 20] On Easter Monday, 1916, three members of the Irish separatist militia from Granard, County Longford, motored to Dublin in a Model T Ford.1 An armed rebellion for Irish freedom had begun at noon that day and, intending to join the fighting, the men traveled sixty-five miles before being turned back by the British army at the city limits.2 In the car were Paul Dawson Cusack, John Cawley, and Cusack's cousin Larry Kiernan.3 Cusack was recognized as a "prominent separatist" and was particularly well-connected to the rebel mainstream.4 His older brother, Dr. Brian Cusack (later a TD for North Galway) was a member of the Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB) and, with John Cawley, established the Irish Volunteer Army in Granard in 1913.5 Brian called Paul "a prime mover" in the Granard Irish Volunteers.6 Undoubtedly known to British authorities, Cusack and Cawley were arrested in the general sweep of suspects after the Easter Rising and imprisoned in Richmond Barracks, Dublin.7 After a month or more in Dublin, Cusack was deported to England and from there, to Frongoch detention camp in Bala, North Wales. He was assigned [End Page 21] to work in the kitchen. There he appears to have found an autograph book, which he and began to pass around to his fellow prisoners for signatures. A page in the center of the album is marked, "This book was lifted for a joke out of Cook House. Return to Paul Cusack"8 (figure 1). Cusack's book is a typical album, a small and inexpensive bound volume filled with cheap wood-pulp paper in pastel colors of orange, yellow, grey, and blue. The book opens in a horizontal orientation, what we would today call "landscape format." Irish republican autograph albums such as Paul Cusack's provide material evidence of a situation occasioned by World War I and the ongoing political conflict in Ireland. They emerged from the conditions of imprisonment under the Defence of the Realm Act of 1914: boredom, camaraderie, and reified Irish identity. Yet the label "autograph album" is misleading. Although it defines the format of the bound book, it suggests ephemera and "the assumption that their contents were essentially meaningless."9 These small books are more than a list of mates; Irish republican autograph albums are complex collections of original writing and artwork, remembered refrains from political speeches and ballads, and sentiments about the war and the Irish rebellion. Furthermore, they provide a link between Irish prison memoirs of the nineteenth century (such as works by John Mitchel, Thomas Clarke, and Oscar Wilde) and those of the late twentieth century in Northern Ireland (such as the writing of Bobby Sands). Autograph albums kept by Irish republican prisoners can be found in the collections of the National Library Ireland, the National Museum at Collins Barracks, and at Kilmainham Gaol. It is likely that even more remain in the private hands of families. These objects should thus be viewed as significant repositories of cultural communication; autograph albums reveal the consciousness of a people during a momentous time of change. Paul Cusack's album, one of several hundred housed in archives in Ireland and the United States, clearly illustrates the continued use of an autograph album. Now in the special collections at the University of Kansas, Cusack's book was part of a large collection of Irish writing and ephemera belonging to P. S. O'Hegarty, a writer, civil servant, and supreme commander of the IRB. [End Page 22] O'Hegarty knew Dr. Brian Cusack, Paul's brother, and also Terence MacSwiney, who was imprisoned with Paul in Frongoch. Cusack himself could not be called a major figure in the story of Irish independence; his significance lies in the fact that we can trace the autograph album to him and that his autograph album is typical...

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.