I RISH P RISON E DUCATION A SSOCIATION Irish Prison ...ipea.ie/IPEA_NL_March_2015.pdf · In...
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Irish Prison Education Association ISSUE NO. 4
The IPEA held their conference, Supporting Prison Education, in the Irish Prison Service College in November 2014. The conference itself was launched by Mr. Michael Donnellan, Director General of the IPS, who gave an encouraging talk on the importance of education in prison.
In excess of 85 delegates attended the two day event and the conference provided an impor-tant opportunity for both prison teachers across the coun-try, and supporters of prison education, to network, discuss ideas, and learn.
Catherine Coakley and Edel Scanlan facilitated a pre-conference event which was organised speci�cally for new and recent teachers. Feedback from participants showed how successful and how necessary this session was for new teachers. James King, Head of O�ender Learn-ing in Scotland and Lena Broo, Chair of the European Prison Education Association and prison education coordinator in Sweden, delivered the keynote addresses and gave an international perspective to the event. The full conference programme also included a research panel in which recent research relating to prisons and prison education was discussed. Catherine Byrne, Dr Aislinn O’Donnell, Eleanor Jones, Jim Wallington and Catherine MacNamara gave a terri�c account of their research and what they had learnt.
Ray Murray of the IPS facilitated a session on new initiatives in prison education and prisons and introduced Hazel Stanley who spoke about her work with prisoners who have dyslexia. The session also included an overview of the Red Cross programme in prisons with contributions by Governor Francis Daly, Maeve Donnelly and Dr Graham Betts-Symonds. A fabulous poster display of art, produced in Education Units, was also on view throughout the conference. The 2015 conference is currently being planned for November 13th and 14th – save the date!
IPEA CONFERENCE by Jane Carrigan
SUPPORTING PRISON EDUCATION
“It was my first time to see the newsletter and it is both impressive and informative as it allows us to view what is
happening outside of Dublin prisons as well as keeping up
to date with publications.”
Some comments from delegates:
Thanks also to delegates who gave constructive suggestions on
how to make improvements and on what to include in the next
conference. Do contact a committee member if you have a sugges-
tion on the 2015 conference.
IP EA
2015 News Update....................2 Liam Minihan Memorial Lecture.......................................3 Developments in Prison Research...................................4 Bill Carroll: An Appreciation.......5 Fallen Bird: Art Exhibition..........6 Membership Application Form...8
“It’s so good to hear about the
new initiatives.”
“I found the research panel to be very
informative, it gave a taste of di�erent
subject areas within prisons and �ndings
were interesting.
In this Issue...
“Great to meet people.”
“Let’s do it again!”
Membership Application Form
I RISH P RISON E DUCATION A SSOCIATION
(Fill in highlighted boxes)
Name: Job Title: Organisation: Place of Work:
Type of Membership (please ‘tick’ box )
Individual: Organisation :
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The main bene�t of membership of the IPEA is the opportunity to work together to develop prison education in Ireland and through-out Europe. Further information and details of the activities of the IPEA are available at www.epea.org/ipea
You can become a member of the IPEA by completing an application form and paying a subscription of € 25. By joining IPEA, you receive membership and also get the benefits of the EPEA.
Payment may be made with cash, by cheque payable to ‘Irish Prison Education Association’ or by bank transfer.
IF Bank Transfer : This can be done at any bank branch and the payment must be made to the Irish Prison Education Association at:
Allied Irish Banks plc. 140 Lower Drumcondra Road Dublin 9 Ireland
Account Name: Irish Prison Education Association Account Number: 02012 - 018 National Sort Code: 93 22 05 IBAN: IE52 AIBK 932205 02012018 BIC (Swift address): AIBK IE2D
Please indicate your method of payment on the application / renewal form and give transaction / or branch name if paying by bank transfer.
Please send your completed application form to;
IPEA Secretary: Edel Cunningham c/o Education Unit, Cork Prison, Rathmore Road, Cork
IP EA
Membership for 2015 is due. Download the
Membership Form @ www.ipea.ie
Membership
Jane Carrigan - Chairperson - Griffith College
Edel Cunnigham - Secretary - Cork Prison
Peter Doyle - Treasurer - Midlands Prison
Kevin Warner - Committee Member
Michelle Ryan - Liasion Person - Midlands Prison
Eleanor Jones - Liaison Person - Mountjoy Prison
NEW Webmaster for the EPEA
Steering Commitee
USEFUL LINKS
IPEA Comittee 2015
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NEW
www.epea.org European Prison Education Association www.iprt.ie Irish Penal Reform Trustwww.irishprisons.ie Irish Prison Servicewww.ateci.ie Association of Teachers and Education Centres Irelandwww.pepre.ie Prison Education and Penal Reformwww.penandclink.com Pen and Clink
IPEA
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Graham Betts-SymondsRay Murray
Aislinn O’Donnell Catherine Byrne Eleanor Jones
Lena Broo - Presenting
Catherine MacNamara Maeve Donnelly Hazel Stanley
Jane Carrigan - Introducing Speakers
Lena Broo - EPEA Chairperson
Photographs by Michelle Ryan
Selection of Photographs from the conference. More Photographs can be found on the IPEA website: www. ipea.ie
The newest co-opted member of the EPEA Steering
Committee in the role of Webmaster is Deirdre
Brennan. Deirdre has a background in Graphic Design
and currently teaches IT and Multimedia in the
Midlands Prison & Portlaoise Prison.
The EPEA Steering Committee works on behalf of its
membership to providing leadership, promoting and
administering the association.
As webmaster Deirdre’s role will involve maintaining
the site, updating content, adding new events and
event registration. Other roles include; hosting and
server maintenance & security and some
troubleshooting when required.
We wish Deirdre every success in her New Role.
Bill Carroll joined the Prison Service in 1967. He
spent most of his working life as a Library- plus-
School o�cer in Portlaoise Prison.
This combination of roles arose from the security
arrangements accompanying the introduction of
teachers to the prison in the mid-eighties. From the
prison management’s point of view, he was respon-
sible for any security issues arising from this devel-
opment. Consequently one of his daily duties was
to meet teachers at the prison gate and escort them
directly to and from classrooms.
However without compromising this security role,
Bill proved to be a ‘teachers’ ally’ at heart. The story
goes that a particular security conscious o�cer
(who never hid his antipathy to the idea of prisoners
getting education) complained about the behav-
Bill Carroll - An Appreciation Sean Wynne
“special friend”
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Bill Carroll
Kevin Warner www.pepre.ie
Developments in Prison Research Jane Carrigan
Catherine Byrne reports on Maths Week in Cloverhill Prison and the bene�ts of doing maths.
In Cloverhill in October we celebrated Maths Week 2014. We
organised a series of events, in partnership with the Red Cross
Community Based Health & First Aid (CBHFA) Prison Volunteers.
First we had a forum on “Me and Maths”, facilitated by the Red
Cross volunteers who also helped students to prepare. Teachers
(maths and basic education) from Cloverhill and other prisons
took part. Everyone spoke for a short time on their experiences of
maths in work or education, what helped them learn and how
they felt about maths now. This gave real feedback to the teachers
on the e�ects of learning maths. Then we had a PowerPoint Maths
Week Table Quiz where people formed their own teams. The
feedback received was that the day was great fun, that it helped
everyone learn in collaboration with each other, and helped the
students realise that what they saw as common sense was in fact
maths.
Ted Hurley, professor (emeritus) of mathematics at National
University of Ireland Galway, argued recently in The Irish Times,
that we all have the “maths gene” and using the maths part of the
Kevin Warner, a man no stranger to prison research and to helping researchers, has created a website
which makes available his writings (www.pepre.ie ). Kevin notes that the website contains articles related
to both prison education and prison reform and although much of the material is particularly pertinent to
Ireland, some is written with a European or American context in mind. The site also contains related
material written by others, as well as links to recommended websites and will undoubtedly prove to be a
valuable research resource.
The Journal of Prison Education and Reentry which was launched last
year is a super way to keep up with the prison research and has the
advantage of having both an academic and practitioner element. The
next issue is scheduled for June 2015 however articles are being
published on a rolling basis and can be freely downloaded from the
journal’s website https://jper.uib.no/index.php/jper.
From an Irish perspective, you can currently access Jane Carrigan’s article entitled Inside the Institution of
the Prison: A Researcher’s Perspective which provides a re�ection on research experiences gained in prisons
in Ireland and o�ers �ve nuggets of advice for prison researchers. Jane also has an article published in the
latest edition of Irish Educational Studies which focuses on the educational life histories of nine prisoner
learners aged between 18 and 21 years.
Catherine Byrne: Math Behind Barbrain brings it to life. Research has also drawn attention to the
bene�ts of maths within a prison setting. Maths can distract from
boredom; doing pages of worksheets or puzzles helps students
to settle in the prison classroom. Maths homework can “make
time go faster” and being seen as a student of maths (a “brainy”
subject) can help improve student’s self-esteem.
Adults have invisible maths skills through living, and maths can
be a gateway to education. Martin Keane in the Health Research
Board reports that this gateway can be a tool in recovery from
addiction. Research has indicated that many in prison have
mental health and addiction problems with Bynner arguing that
men with low numeracy skills may be more vulnerable to being
depressed. Prison education aims to help prisoners to cope with
their imprisonment, to achieve personal development, to
prepare for life after release and to establish the appetite and
capacity for lifelong learning. While these aims are diverse, maths
can play a role in meeting many of them. For those interested in further research in the area the following texts may be useful:
• Bynner, J (2001) Improving Adult Basic Skills Benefits to the
Individual and to Society, DfEE Research Centre
• Keane M (2011) The Role Of Education In Developing Recovery Capital In Recovery From Substance Addiction. Dublin: Soilse Drug Rehabilitation Project
• Kennedy , HG, S Monks, K Curtin, B Wright, S Linehan, D Du�y, C Teljeur, A Kelly, (2004), Mental Illness in Irish Prisoners Psychiatric Morbidity in Sentenced, Remanded and Newly Committed Prisoners National Foren-sic Mental Health Service Central Mental Hospital
• Kett, M. & Morgan, M. (2003). The Prison Adult
Literacy Survey: Results And Implications. Irish Prison Service
As education grew to become a presence in
the prison, the governor provided a small
education centre with sta�room and o�ces
for Head Teacher and School O�cer. Bill
opted to move from his library post and
took up ‘residence’ with the teaching sta�.
Once again emphasising how much at
home he had become with education.
Because of his close (and essential) involve-
ment in all prison based education activities
e.g. art exhibitions, plays, concerts, activities
week etc., it seemed most natural to have
Bill at education events outside the prison
such as sta� development days ,end of term
parties etc, . Invariably on such occasions, he would be at the heart of the late night (or
early morning!) sing- songs. His version of the Dean Martin classic ‘Little Ole Wine Drinker
Me’ was legendary.
Bill retired in 2002. With his going went a very special relationship between two sta�s -
security and education. And teachers had lost a special friend.
After a long struggle with illness, Bill died in November 2014.
Remembered by Sean Wynne
Head Teacher, Portlaoise & Midlands Prison
1987 - 2000
And �nally... Prisoners’ Education Trust in the UK have just announced that their second Annual Academic Symposium which will be taking place on the 9th June at the Institute of Criminology, University of Cambridge. More details on this will be found on our website in the coming weeks.
iour of a teacher. Having experienced at �rst hand Bill’s dismissive attitude, the said
o�cer went on his way grumbling: ‘Sure it’s well known, Bill, you always take the side of
them teachers anyway’!
Despite this widely held perception of Bill as a friend of education, prison management
maintained total faith in his ability to ensure prison security was never compromised. So,
when in doubt about security implications involved in any new curricular initiatives, I, as
Head Teacher would always consult him.
In the early days there was no sta�room where teachers could stay before
or in- between classes. In the absence of these basic facilities, Bill’s library proved a
teachers’ haven; there he would provide co�ee and tea. There too one would always �nd
a sympathetic ear to one’s problems coping with a seemingly inhospitable system.
With no teachers to facilitate the Open University programme in the prison - its
introduction predated their arrival- the library was the focal point for delivery and
receipt of TMAs. Bill’s quick mastery of the system was a marvel to the OU’s Senior
Counsellor for Prisons and the administrative sta� in Belfast.
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Professor Michael O'Flaherty has been Established Professor of Human Rights Law and Director of the Irish Centre for Human Rights at the National University of Ireland, Galway since February 2013. He was Chief Commissioner of the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission until November 2013. From 2004-2012, he was a member of the United Nations Human Rights Committee, latterly as a Vice-Chairperson. Professor O’Flaherty is a member of the UK Foreign Office’s advisory bodies on freedom of expression and the prevention of torture and the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs’ human rights advisory committee. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of the Arts and sits on the advisory boards of numerous human rights groups and journals internationally.Professor O’Flaherty read law at University College Dublin, theology and philosophy at the Gregorian University, Rome, international relations at the University of Amsterdam and is a Solicitor of the Irish Courts. Professor O’Flaherty was the principal drafter of the General Comment of the Human Rights Committee on the freedoms of opinion and expression (General Comment 34, adopted in 2011). He was also rapporteur for the development of the Principles on the Application of International Human Rights Law with regard to Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (the Yogyakarta Principles). He initiated and directed the opening and closing expert consultations
The National Prison Art Exhibition Fallen Bird got its second airing at the prestigious location of Dublin’s City Hall this January. In storage since its first showing at the Hunt Museum in Limerick before Christmas, the collection of artwork includes paintings, prints, collage, video, photography, tapestry and ceramics; all showcasing the wealth of artistic talent from within our Irish prisons and post release centres.
SCHEDULETea and Coffee at 6:30
Lecture 7:15
The Liam Minihan Memorial Lecture was revived in 2014 by the IPEA Committee. This year’s Lecture takes place in Dublin on the 14th of May. Professor Michael O’Flaherty, Chairman of the IPRT, will address about Prisoners and Human Rights. All members are invited to attend.
Liam Minihan Memorial Lecture 2015
Wynn’s Hotel, Lower Abbey Street, Dublin 1
14th May 2015
Michael O’Flaherty Irish Penal Reform Trust
of the Dublin Process on the Strengthening of the UN Human Rights Treaty Body System and was rapporteur for its Dublin Outcome Document. He has been a member of the UN Expert Task Force on Human Rights Indicators that concluded its work in 2012.
Professor O'Flaherty's recent publications include volumes on the law and practice of human rights field operations, the professionalization of human rights field work and on human rights diplomacy.
Professor O’Flaherty came to NUI Galway from the University of Nottingham where he was Professor of Applied Human Rights and Co-director of the Human Rights Law Centre. Previously he held a number of senior posts at the United Nations. He established the UN human rights field missions in Bosnia and Herzegovina (1994) and Sierra Leone (1998) and subsequently guided UN headquarters support to its human rights programmes across the Asia-Pacific region. He has served as Secretary of the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination and UN human rights advisor for implementation of the Dayton Peace Agreement. From 2000 to 2002 he chaired the UN reference group on human rights and humanitarian action.
Liam Minihan
Fallen BirdThe National Prison Art Exhibition
The show took on a lofty appearance in this grand surround, and both prison art teachers and students were praised most highly by Dublin’s Lord Mayor Christy Burke, the Minister for Justice and Equality Frances Fitzgerald, Jacinta Stewart CEO of City of Dublin VEC, Director General of the IPS Michael Donnellan and indeed Peter Coonan, special guest from ‘Love/Hate’ who were among those attending the ceremony.
Fallen Bird took its name from a painting by Eric Boylan, who has since left The Training Unit in Mountjoy. This piece of work depicts a row of black birds on a spiked boundary fence, one of whom seems to be out on its own and just about hanging in there. It was chosen for the exhibition
invitation and poster design for its striking and evocative imagery.
There was such an enormous response to the call for entries from prisons that the selection committee had to be quite ruthless in deciding which pieces to include. Praise is due to all those who submitted their work for the exhibition and also to their teachers and the ETBs for providing the facilities and materials but more importantly, for encouraging and motivating prisoners to get involved in art activities.
Eleanor Jones
Professor Michael O'Flaherty FRSA Established Professor of Human Rights Law Director, Irish Centre for Human RightsNational University of Ireland Galway
Actor Peter Coonan with ex-prisoner turned artist Eric Boylan, Clonsilla at the launch of the National Prisoner Art Exhibition titled "FALLEN BIRD take 2" at City Hall in Dublin.
Picture:Arthur Carron
"When you're in prison it's very liberating to do something
so creative”Eric Boylan - Artist
"It shows that once you go in to prison you can still express yourself."
Peter Coonan - Love/Hate Actor
Save the Date!