The crimes, and the punishments, of child prisoners are the focus of an exhibition and book launched at Dublin's historic Kilmainham Jail last week.

Object Lessons, which runs until December 31st, looks at the tiny fragments of lives left behind by Kilmainham's 19th-century prisoners.

The superbly produced book, Hard Lessons, is aimed at nine- to 14-year-olds and can be used in the classroom. A selection of entries from the jail's register includes 12-year-old Francis Kenny, sentenced in 1895 to 14 days in jail followed by five years in reform school for stealing a lily and flower pot. School tours can be arranged (tel: (01) 453 5984; fax: (01) 453 2037).