‘Dedicated Traveller strategy’ needed in prisons

Effective methods of “ethnic monitoring” are required in Irish prisons as part of an overall strategy to aid Travellers break the cycle of offending behavior, a new report published today says.

The study found members of the Travelling community are disproportionately represented in the prison population, a trend typical of countries with indigenous minority groups.

“Travellers in the Irish Prison System: A qualitative study”, published in Dublin, says a dedicated strategy is now required to ensure that Travellers have “equal and culturally-appropriate” access to education while in prison.

The report was compiled by the Irish Penal Reform Trust (IPRT), a non-governmental organisation campaigning for the rights of those in custody.

It is the first time research into the Traveller experience in prisons has been conducted.

Deirdre Malone, executive director of IPRT said: "One of the key recommendations to emerge from our research is for the Irish Prison Service to develop an equality policy for all minority groups in prison, including Travellers, and to put in place a dedicated strategy for Travellers to ensure that prison does not further compound the social marginalisation that is often at the root of offending behaviour."

Ms Malone said the recent introduction of an “ethnic identifier” to the prison system, a system whereby ethnicity is identified and taken into consideration, was a welcome development.

“We hope that this report will provide an impetus for further progress, and provide a framework for preventing and addressing inequitable treatment of minority groups in prison,” she said.

The IPRT has identified various issues facing Travellers behind bars including discrimination from other prisoners and staff, and mental health issues.

There is also the literacy issue where problems can affect the prison experience by forming a barrier to information and entitlements while in custody.

On release, Travellers are often left isolated from their communities and all of these hardships are underscored by social and educational disadvantage as well as drug and alcohol dependency, it says.

The IPRT believes that by conducting effective ethnic monitoring, any disproportional experiences between Travellers and other inmates can be analysed and addressed.

A dedicated strategy for Travellers in the criminal justice system will simultaneously “address how discrimination can impact Travellers’ experience of the criminal justice system, and to ensure that Travellers have equal and culturally-appropriate access to education while in prison, including literacy education”.

The Irish Prison Service, while not issuing a statement in relation to the report, has said education is available to everybody within the system.