New prison equine centre proves popular with Traveller inmates
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A new equine centre in Castlerea Prison — described as the first of its kind in Europe — has attracted “significant” interest among Traveller men both in the jail and in other prisons, an Oireachtas committee has been told.
Prison bosses said the project had only recently commenced and was part of a number of initiatives in the prison system to try to engage, and hopefully, rehabilitate Traveller inmates.
They were addressing a special Joint Oireachtas Committee on Key Issues Affecting the Travelling Community on Thursday.
Fergal Black, director of care and rehabilitation with the Irish Prison Service, said the new equine centre at Castlerea was a collaboration between the IPS and the horsing sector.
“The programme being run in the equine centre, which is a first of its kind in Europe, will target all prisoners however, early indications have pointed to a significant level of interest in the programme from Traveller men in Castlerea and in other locations,” he told committee members.
“The equine programme can have a positive impact on physical and mental wellbeing, offer preparation for employment and ultimately make community safer through a reduction in reoffending."
He said a “very successful” mediation programme has been in operation in Castlerea Prison since 2016, which, he said, was a partnership between the Midlands Traveller Conflict Mediation Initiative, the Red Cross, Travellers in Prison Initiative, and Castlerea Prison School.
Mr Black said: “Mediation is an effective way of resolving disputes, and can resolve even the most complex, intractable disputes. The programme has since been extended to other locations including, Midlands Prison, Loughan House, the Dóchas Centre and Cork Prison and while the rollout has been impacted by Covid-19, there are a number of prison educations centres who have expressed [an interest].”
Fíona Ní Chinnéide, executive director of Irish Penal Reform Trust, told the committee they welcomed the introduction of an ethnic identifier and the collection of anonymised data by the IPS.
“However, we are concerned that this data should be adequately recorded, analysed, and made publicly available,” she said.
She said reports by the Committee for the Prevention of Torture and recent public disclosures regarding social media activity suggested “a small number of staff engage in discriminatory behaviour and racist abuse” and called for mandatory anti-racism training.