IASIO (Irish Association for Social Inclusion Opportunities)

"We don't have enough prisoners for all the job offers." This is how Shelton Abbey Open Prison Governor Joe Donohue opened our recent event which brought employers to Shelton Abbey Open Prison to get the chance to meet with IASIO clients. We started the day listening to the governor and employers like MrPRICE Branded Bargains who have long and very successful experience working with people with criminal convictions. NUA Manufacturing spoke about their successful employment experiences with people from Shelton Abbey, pointing out that when they leave the job, they have the benefit of a reference. Then it was time to hear from two people serving time in Shelton Abbey Open Prison. One told us that he had first come across IASIO (Irish Association for Social Inclusion Opportunities) in Mountjoy, and he spoke about his gratitude for our support. Another described the difference working made for his relationship with his family. Governor Donohue summed up Shelton Abbey's approach to rehabilitation with the following words "We believe in second chances, but also in first chances." Huge thanks to the many companies in attendance, including Compass Group Ireland and many others. To the Prison service and to IASIO team Neala Murphy, Liam Grogan and David O'Connor, Jacob Harmon and Barry Owens. Please contact us if you would like to attend future employment events, and our information for employers page is here: https://lnkd.in/epMj4WQH Here are a few snaps of IASIO CEO Sharan Kelly with Mr Price's Operational Director Edel McSorley whose commitment to collaboration has been invaluable. We also had a tour of some of the projects in Shelton Abbey, from the farm, to the bike repair workshop, to the impressive barbers.

San Quentin State prison has been notorious for housing the largest death row population in the U.S. (It's also the birthplace of Ear Hustle, our favourite podcast about life in prison.) But you might be surprised to know that San Quentin is going through a major transformation, inspired by the Nordic Model which emphasises restorative justice, rehabilitation and re-integration. The architects for the project are Danish and brief is as follows: "The design will feature a campus-like layout, incorporating classrooms, a library, a technology centre, and recreational spaces designed to support education and skills development for inmates. The campus will include green spaces and communal areas to foster an environment supportive of wellbeing. The design shifts the model of the facility from a traditional punitive incarceration model to a model that promotes emotional, moral, and vocational development to support successful reintegration into society." To read this progressive brief for a prison with the reputation of San Quentin is a surprise, and a wonderful one at that. It's also a painful reminder of how far we are from this kind of vision for prison as a space for rehabilitation and development in Ireland. Not just due to overcrowding , but also the strain on mental health and rehabilitation services which are already over-stretched and inadequate for the prison population. If San Quentin can lead the way towards designing prisons to be progressive places which foster positive human behaviour, can Ireland please follow suit? Read more here: https://lnkd.in/e33fmPmD https://lnkd.in/gTiaCnR

Yesterday I chaired a panel of experts in the field of drug policy, human rights, harm reduction and regulation. Panelists:   1. Femke Halsema, Mayor of the City of Amsterdam   2. Philippe Close - Mayor of the City of Brussels   3. Pavel Bem - Previous Mayor of the City of Prague & Global Commission on Drugs   4. Allan Casey - Councillor of the City of Glasgow   5. Carly Heath - Night Time Economy Advisor, City Council of Bristol  6. Robert Csak - Drug Coordinator of the City of Budapest   7. Michael Hahn - Addiction and Drug coordination Department in Vienna We spoke about the transformative role of cities in drug policy innovation. Changing how a society does things can take courage but when the evidence is clear it’s a matter of doing the right thing and being a good legislator. As government in Ireland looks at its next term it needs to truly place sensible evidence based policy making at the heart of it drugs laws. There are no barriers to this, not from a treaty/convention level or from a legislative level. It’s about decisions and it’s always refreshing to be around people not only this panel but 100s of people who know the what and how of these decisions. It is my intention and commitment to continue to bring these spaces together: civil society, legislators and international experts. The fight for the rights and health of people who use drugs is global. I believe Ireland can catch up the speed. Let the mission be zero policy on poverty and inequality. Onwards ❤️

It's the final countdown to #GE24 #Generalelections24 Good luck to all candidates in the race tomorrow! We will be following up with the successful candidates to do justice to these urgent policy asks that we have put together, along with PACE and Le Chéile Mentoring Prison over-crowding is creating a crisis across Ireland's prisons and we are calling for urgent attention to early intervention, rehabilitation and reintegration and, importantly, funding to sustain our critical services which have been underfunded for far too long. Read more here - > https://lnkd.in/efmJMvTr

The #CoE_CPT published the first in a series of podcasts on #deprivationofliberty issues, starting with #prisons and the scourge of #prisonovercrowding and the specific challenges of #womeninprison. Prison overcrowding impacts negatively on all aspects of prison life from living conditions to activities to staff-prisoner relations and inter-prisoner violence. It also often results in more cases of self-harm and poorer healthcare outcomes as individual wellbeing diminishes. Resolving prison overcrowding requires political will to review the efficacy of the criminal justice system. Building more prisons is not only super expensive but it does not resolve the crisis - although there is certainly a case for old not fit-for-purpose establishments to be closed and modern, person-oriented, more environmentally viable, prisons to be built. This is a discussion in which the #CoE_CPT is heavily invested as it engages with the policy makers in many #CoE countries on how best to address this problematic. #Womeninprison is an ongoing focus of the #CoE_CPT and there is so much more to say than the few minutes devoted to it in this podcast. We hope to get out our updated thinking and standards on this issue soon as we approach the 15th anniversary of the #BangkokRules. Thanks to #ThereseRytter, #EmmaTamarelle and #AlunDrake https://lnkd.in/eSYEQayr

"To know there is something on the outside in terms of employment and training has had a very positive effect on me" - this is the feedback from a participant at a recent 'Building Bridges' event at Wheatfield prison. IASIO was proud to organise this event, alongside Irish Prison Service and SOLAS (An tSeirbhís Oideachais Leanúnaigh agus Scileanna). 'Building Bridges' events involve a lot of work behind the scenes coordinating with social enterprises, training services, community employment schemes and educational institutions to invite them into the prison. Over the course of a day, we met with almost 200 people in Wheatfield. From the photos, you can see the array of people who committed their day to this outreach at Wheatfield - we thank each of you. Events like these are a core part of our work for us at IASIO where we draw on our network to come together to support people with criminal convictions to build stable futures. It's very rewarding to read over the feedback which reminds us how challenging it can seem for people in prison to try to plan for a stable way of life once they leave. "Most often we feel abandoned by the community and government," said one participant in his feedback. "This connects us back with our communities and reminds us that all is not lost. There is hope on the horizon." If you would like to get involved in future 'Building Bridges' events, please get in touch to find out how you can contribute and benefit, and how it has worked for other employers and educators. Our network is building and we want you to be part of it! Sharan Kelly Jacob Harmon Barry Owens Spéire Nua The Cornmarket Project Matt Talbot Community Trust

Today, Mark Wilson, Director of the Probation Service, spoke at the Parole Board's inaugural conference, held in central Dublin. The event brought together colleagues from across the justice sector to share perspectives on parole, fostering an increased understanding of the Parole Board’s work, remit, and role. The conference focused on three key themes: ·      The Victim’s Perspective on Parole ·      Risk and Rehabilitation ·      Learnings from Other Jurisdictions Mark joined a panel discussion on Risk and Rehabilitation, hosted by renowned broadcaster Olivia O'Leary. He was joined by Caron McCaffrey, Director-General, Irish Prison Service and Dr Shane McCarthy from the Parole Board to delve into critical issues around parole, probation and prison. The event marked a significant step towards collaboration and knowledge-sharing across the criminal justice system engendering a greater understanding of parole. Congratulations to the Parole Board on a hugely successful inagural conference.

Insightful evening with a great panel providing plenty of food for thought.

Looks fascinating Clodagh Cecil. Lynn Ruane had a busy day - we spotted her at Irish Penal Reform Trust hustings event earlier!