The vicious circle of social exclusion and crime-Ireland's disproportionate punishment of the poor

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Context

The Irish Penal Reform Trust [IPRT] is a non-governmental organisation campaigning for the rights of people in prison and the progressive reform of Irish penal policy. Founded in 1994, IPRT has a well-established role as an independent voice in public debate on the Irish penal system. IPRT is committed to reducing imprisonment, respecting the rights of everyone in the penal system, and progressive reform of the penal system based on evidence-led policies. In operational terms this IPRT’s focus is on the use of imprisonment including sentencing, alternatives to custody and diversion, and the treatment of those in detention.

In 2013, the Irish Penal Reform Trust [IPRT] were given €500,000 for a project titled Achieving Long-Term Penal Reform with the purpose to create a climate wherein imprisonment is used as the measure of last resort by supporting sustainable and independent capacity to embed reform and respect for human rights in the prison system.

Description:

The purpose of this twenty-eight-page long illustrated paper the Irish Penal Reform Trust [IPRT] is to emphasise the complex matrix between social exclusion and crime, in order to impress on policy makers that an effective response to crime must, at the front end, involve investment in early intervention to combat social and educational disadvantage to prevent vulnerable young people embarking on criminality in the first instance. Divided into seven chapters the contents are as follows: Social profile of prisoners, criminalisation/targeting marginalisation, uneven application of the criminal law, causes of crime, reintegration and poverty following imprisonment, shifting focus, summary and recommendations.

Type:

text and reports

Creator:

Irish Penal Reform Trust, 1994-

Subject:

Curated collection--Grant documentation, Atlantic Philanthropies (Organization), Irish Penal Reform Trust, Curated collection--Human rights, Curated collection--Reconciliation, Grant 22096, Non-governmental organizations, Marginality, Social, Curated collection--Liam Herrick, and Curated collection--Martin O'Brien

Grant:

Grant 22096

Grantee:

Irish Penal Reform Trust

Year of Grant:

2013

Location of Grantee:

Dublin

Rights:

The material is copyright of either Cornell University, The Atlantic Philanthropies, or where listed, the original authors or commissioning bodies. This collection is being made available under CC BY-NC-ND license, which allows users to access the material as long as the original copyright holder is credited; the material cannot be changed in any way or used commercially.

Attribution:

Cornell University Library, Digital Repository of Ireland, and The Atlantic Philanthropies

Doi:

https://doi.org/10.7486/DRI.vq28c931c