Regimes in Irish prisons: 'Inhumane' and 'degrading': An analysis and the outline of a solution

Kevin S. Warner
{"title":"Regimes in Irish prisons: 'Inhumane' and 'degrading': An analysis and the outline of a solution","authors":"Kevin S. Warner","doi":"10.21427/D7343N","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"Recent reports depict regimes in Irish prisons as ‘inhumane’, and as ‘increasingly oppressive and destructive’. This deterioration in conditions is part of a larger ‘punitive turn’ that can be identified in the Irish prison system since the late 1990s, and that is also evident in a huge increase in the scale of incarceration and much greater demonisation of those held in prison. In 1985, the Whitaker Report set standards for ‘basic living conditions’ in prisons. The Whitaker standards mirror similar ones in the European Prison Rules. For example, both stipulate that an imprisoned person should normally have a single cell. When current regimes in Irish prisons are examined in the light of five key ‘basic living conditions’ set out in Whitaker, a picture of severe deterioration is evident. Nearly sixty per cent of all those in prisons must now share cells. Close to two-thirds are subject to highly inappropriate, undignified and often unhygienic sanitary arrangements. Lock-up times, deemed ‘excessive’ in Whitaker’s day, have, in fact, worsened significantly. Access to structured activity such as education or work is now far more problematic. And contact with family is unreasonably restrictive. These deteriorating conditions reinforce each other. Likewise, the multiple factors behind the regression – such as overcrowding, segregation, prisons that are too large, and an overemphasis on ‘security’ – also compound each other. Rescuing the Irish prison system from the morass it is now in, and bringing it towards the kind of system the Whitaker Committee envisioned, is an enormous task. An outline of some of the changes required is suggested. These include a radical reduction in the numbers imprisoned, much greater use of open prisons and a renewed focus on balancing ‘custody’ with ‘care’. Moreover, given the problems now endemic in Ireland’s large closed prisons, major long-term adjustments in the prison estate need to be planned, so that we have a system of much smaller prisons. In particular, the foolhardy Thornton Hall Project should be abandoned.","PeriodicalId":30337,"journal":{"name":"Irish Journal of Applied Social Studies","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0000,"publicationDate":"2014-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"2","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Irish Journal of Applied Social Studies","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.21427/D7343N","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"","JCRName":"","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 2

Abstract

Recent reports depict regimes in Irish prisons as ‘inhumane’, and as ‘increasingly oppressive and destructive’. This deterioration in conditions is part of a larger ‘punitive turn’ that can be identified in the Irish prison system since the late 1990s, and that is also evident in a huge increase in the scale of incarceration and much greater demonisation of those held in prison. In 1985, the Whitaker Report set standards for ‘basic living conditions’ in prisons. The Whitaker standards mirror similar ones in the European Prison Rules. For example, both stipulate that an imprisoned person should normally have a single cell. When current regimes in Irish prisons are examined in the light of five key ‘basic living conditions’ set out in Whitaker, a picture of severe deterioration is evident. Nearly sixty per cent of all those in prisons must now share cells. Close to two-thirds are subject to highly inappropriate, undignified and often unhygienic sanitary arrangements. Lock-up times, deemed ‘excessive’ in Whitaker’s day, have, in fact, worsened significantly. Access to structured activity such as education or work is now far more problematic. And contact with family is unreasonably restrictive. These deteriorating conditions reinforce each other. Likewise, the multiple factors behind the regression – such as overcrowding, segregation, prisons that are too large, and an overemphasis on ‘security’ – also compound each other. Rescuing the Irish prison system from the morass it is now in, and bringing it towards the kind of system the Whitaker Committee envisioned, is an enormous task. An outline of some of the changes required is suggested. These include a radical reduction in the numbers imprisoned, much greater use of open prisons and a renewed focus on balancing ‘custody’ with ‘care’. Moreover, given the problems now endemic in Ireland’s large closed prisons, major long-term adjustments in the prison estate need to be planned, so that we have a system of much smaller prisons. In particular, the foolhardy Thornton Hall Project should be abandoned.
爱尔兰监狱制度:“不人道”和“有辱人格”:分析和解决方案纲要
最近的报告将爱尔兰监狱的制度描述为“不人道”,并且“越来越压迫和破坏性”。这种条件的恶化是自20世纪90年代末以来在爱尔兰监狱系统中可以确定的更大的“惩罚性转向”的一部分,这也明显体现在监禁规模的大幅增加和对监狱囚犯的更大妖魔化上。1985年,惠特克报告设定了监狱“基本生活条件”的标准。惠特克标准反映了欧洲监狱规则中的类似标准。例如,两者都规定被监禁的人通常应该被关在一个牢房里。根据惠特克书中列出的五个关键的“基本生活条件”来审视爱尔兰监狱的现行制度时,一幅严重恶化的画面是显而易见的。监狱中近60%的囚犯现在必须共用一个牢房。近三分之二的人受到极不适当、不体面且往往不卫生的卫生安排。事实上,在惠特克时代被认为“过度”的禁闭时间,已经大大恶化了。如今,获得教育或工作等结构化活动的机会要困难得多。与家人的联系也受到了不合理的限制。这些不断恶化的情况相互加强。同样,这种倒退背后的多重因素——如过度拥挤、隔离、监狱规模过大以及过分强调“安全”——也相互叠加。将爱尔兰监狱系统从目前的困境中拯救出来,并使其朝着惠特克委员会所设想的那种体制发展,是一项艰巨的任务。提出了一些需要改变的要点。这些措施包括大幅减少被监禁的人数,更多地使用开放式监狱,以及重新关注平衡“监护”与“照顾”。此外,鉴于目前爱尔兰大型封闭式监狱普遍存在的问题,需要对监狱资产进行重大的长期调整,以便我们拥有一个规模小得多的监狱系统。特别是,应该放弃鲁莽的桑顿霍尔项目。
本文章由计算机程序翻译,如有差异,请以英文原文为准。
求助全文
约1分钟内获得全文 求助全文
来源期刊
自引率
0.00%
发文量
0
审稿时长
26 weeks
×
引用
GB/T 7714-2015
复制
MLA
复制
APA
复制
导出至
BibTeX EndNote RefMan NoteFirst NoteExpress
×
提示
您的信息不完整,为了账户安全,请先补充。
现在去补充
×
提示
您因"违规操作"
具体请查看互助需知
我知道了
×
提示
确定
请完成安全验证×
copy
已复制链接
快去分享给好友吧!
我知道了
右上角分享
点击右上角分享
0
联系我们:info@booksci.cn Book学术提供免费学术资源搜索服务,方便国内外学者检索中英文文献。致力于提供最便捷和优质的服务体验。 Copyright © 2023 布克学术 All rights reserved.
京ICP备2023020795号-1
ghs 京公网安备 11010802042870号
Book学术文献互助
Book学术文献互助群
群 号:481959085
Book学术官方微信