PARAMILITARY PRISONERS freed following the Belfast Agreement 10 years ago have made a positive contribution to conflict transformation, according to two law lecturers at Queen's University.
Dr Peter Shirlow and Prof Kieran McEvoy from the school of law launched their detailed study of the roles played by former prisoners - Beyond the Wire: Former Prisoners and Conflict Transformation in Northern Ireland- last night. They conclude that many of those released from prison on licence actively worked to rebuild damaged communities and to resolve conflict.
However, their claims have been criticised as insensitive and hurtful by the DUP. Strangford Assembly member Simon Hamilton said the prisoner-release programme was a "perversion of justice" and was sufficient grounds for many to oppose the Belfast Agreement itself.
"Just because the flinging open of the doors of the Maze and the freeing of terrorists from all sides happened almost a decade ago, the hurt and pain felt by victims and survivors is no less intense today," he claimed
"The authors of this book can sit in the ivory towers of academia and theorise over the supposed value of the early-release scheme all they want. But their conclusions are deeply insensitive to many victims and survivors, and could in some cases cause victims to experience more harm."
Mr Hamilton said that calling the early-release scheme a success "completely ignores the very many people in Northern Ireland who consider it an appalling abomination".
Prof McEvoy, however, said the releases had been a positive move. "We are not naive enough to think that each and every ex-prisoner is a saint," he said at the book's launch in Belfast last night. "Nonetheless, 10 years after early releases began, of the 450 prisoners released early, 20 have had their licences revoked. Sixteen of these were for terrorist-related activities. This compares to a general re-offending rate of 48 per cent within two years for 'ordinary prisoners' in Northern Ireland.
"Difficult and painful though it was, the early-release part of the peace process has been a significant success."
Dr Shirlow added that Beyond the Wire highlighted "the central role of ex-prisoners in rebuilding communities that were affected by the conflict".