Prison Education and Penal Reform
This topic was also discussed at the 14th annual Liam Minihan lecture, hosted by Irish Prison Education Association (IPEA), Wynn’s Hotel, Dublin, 19 May 2016
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Shifting from closed to open prisons, as well as reducing prison numbers through alternatives to custody, are rare examples of socially progressive policies also being economical.
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The McCarthy report on public services failed to see that jailing fewer people and more use of open prisons would save millions and bring better results for prisoners and society, writes Kevin Warner.
This article appeared in the Irish Examiner on 03/08/2010.
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The proposed changes to gratuity payments to prisoners is contrary to Council of Europe’s rules and lets down those who want to avail of educational, training or counselling services, writes Kevin Warner
This article appeared in The Irish Examiner on 31 July 2012
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It’s 25 years since the Whitaker Report on our prison system was published. We are still grappling with the issues it dealt with because we did not take its advice, writes Kevin Warner
This article appeared in the Irish Examiner on 07/09/2010
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This paper identifies aspects of the prison system in Iceland that offer
positive models for Ireland. Although Iceland experienced a similar financial crash to Ireland, Iceland’s penal policies remain very much in tune with Nordic approaches, which have largely resisted the punitive impulses evident in English-speaking countries.
Comparisons between the prison systems of Ireland and Iceland reveal a much lower rate of incarceration, and more socially inclusive attitudes, in the latter. The paper examines, in particular, prison regimes in each country; on most criteria, conditions and the manner of treating people in prison in Iceland are seen to be significantly better than in Ireland. The thinking behind the different policies and practices is explored: concepts such as ‘dynamic security’, ‘balancing care and custody’ and ‘normalisation’ have much greater currency in the prison system of Iceland than in that of Ireland.
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Addressing the chronic state of Irish prisons has financial benefits as well as humanitarian and social advantages, writes Kevin Warner
This article appeared in The Irish Examiner 20 April 2011
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Imprisoned by the past: despite claims of “international best practice”, Thornton Hall might be better off learning from Nordic open prisons.
Irish Times, Saturday, 14th May 2011
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OPINION
This article appeared in The Irish Times on 23 October 2014
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