Justice, Policing and the Irish Community
| DOI | 10.1177/026455050204900215 |
| Author | Nicola Carr |
| Date | 01 June 2002 |
| Published date | 01 June 2002 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
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opportunities for women prisoners and
within young offender institutions. This
attitude is argued to be “symptomatic of a
wider reluctance to engage with prisoners
as citizens”, with volunteering appearing
to offer a form of re-integration that could
be developed into a more restorative
justice approach. The ‘Proposals For
Change’ are both specific – for example,
increased staff training on the operation of
Release on Temporary Licence – and also
relate to broader shifts in the culture of
prisons, necessary if volunteering is to
fulfil its constructive potential.
Finola Farrant and Joe Levenson (2002)
Barred Citizens: Volunteering and Active
Citizenship by Prisoners. London: Prison
Reforim Trust, £10. Kerry McCarthy
Probation Officer, London
Justice, Policing and
the Irish Community
This was the second conference organized
by NAPO and the Action Group for Irish
Youth (AGYIP) focusing on the issue of
justice, policing and the Irish community.
The first of these conferences took place
two years ago and followed the
publication of the Macpherson Report
into the death of Stephen Lawrence. The
focus then was how these findings
pertained to the largest ethnic minority
group in Britain – the Irish.
As Raju Bhatt, a representative from
Bhatt Murphy Solicitors, and a speaker at
the conference pointed out, the types of
case and the instances of prejudice
amongst different groups may vary
somewhat, but the quality of the
experiences are shared between different
communities.
The conference opened with a speech
from John McDonnell MP, chair of the
Parliamentary All Party Irish Group. He
provided a general overview of the Irish
experience within Britain, highlighting
that “The Irish may remain invisible in the
diversity debate”. The quintessential
Insider/Outsiders. This is echoed in a
report from the Commission for Racial
Equality, published in 1997, which stated
that:
“Irish people are constantly reminded
that they are not entitled to an equal
place in British society. On the other
hand; they are not seen as sufficiently
different for this racism to be
acknowledged and to be afforded some
measure of protection.”
Examples of the experiences of Irish
people within the prison system were
outlined by Father Gerry McFlynn from
the Irish Commission for Prisoners
Overseas and Yvonne Macnamara, from
the Brent Irish Advisory Service. They
identified that Irish people are over-
represented within the British Prison
system, members from the Irish Travelling
Community especially so. Examples were
cited of deportation orders being issued to
people who may have “an Irish sounding
name”, but have lived in Britain for most
or all of their lives. Yvonne Macnamara
highlighted particular instances of
discrimination faced by Irish Travellers
within the prison system, who may have a
disproportionately high number of
adjudications recorded against them; and
who in some instances have been informed
that work within the prison kitchens is out
of bounds because they are perceived to be
“unhygienic”. She also cited the fact that
in one London prison, in the space of two
years, there have been four deaths in
custody of Irish Nationals.
The issue of deaths in custody attracted
strong debate from the floor. The question
was posed as to why Jack Straw felt able
to grant an Inquiry into the death of
Stephen Lawrence, but no inquiry into
numerous deaths in custody? Raju Bhatt
identified that when the state itself is
responsible, a public inquiry is a much
more distant possibility. Whilst Race
Relation policies may be in place within
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