Chai Brady
There is a huge debt to Irish missionaries who have quietly ministered to Irish people incarcerated abroad, writes Chai Brady
Pope Francis has often spoke of the need for reform in prison systems, to tackle the root cause of crime and to assist people in their efforts to reintegrate into society after serving their sentence. The roadblocks to re-engaging with society prevent ex-convicts “from regaining the full exercise of their dignity” he said.
Taking into account the challenges faced by prisoners who exit prisons in Ireland, there are further complications for Irish people who are imprisoned abroad.
The ICPO (Irish Council for Prisoners Overseas) was established in 1985 by the Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conference, in response to serious concerns about the circumstances of Irish citizens arrested and in detention in England during that time.
It seeks to provide information, support, and advice to all Irish citizens and to their families. The work has grown considerably since the 1980s, with the organisation assisting almost 1,200 prisoners across 30 countries.
The numbers of people they support has remained broadly unchanged over the years, with 80-85% being imprisoned in the UK. There are also significant numbers in the US, Australia and Europe with some in the Middle East, Asia, Africa and Central and South America.
Speaking to The Irish Catholic, the Coordinator of the ICPO Brian Hanley said the nature of the support they provide varies depending on individual circumstances, country of imprisonment, length of sentence, the conditions in prison and the level of family support.
“A whole range of issues can impact upon the level of need and the type of support that we provide,” Mr Hanley explains, “And ultimately, the ICPO since its inception has really been about providing practical pastoral support and care, meeting people where they’re at.
“It might be information and advice on issues such as repatriation, licenses, discrimination, or perhaps advocacy around healthcare, and resettlement.”
Support
Family support is a very important part of the ICPO’s work, particularly as the costs associated with keeping in contact with loved ones are at times extortionate. “I’m sure the circumstances for any family with a loved one in prison are undoubtedly challenging and this in many ways can be exacerbated by time and distance and increased costs, perhaps additional worries about the circumstances and health and conditions and so on,” Mr Hanley said.
“We provide supports with family information days, assistance around prison visitation, getting information and facilitating communication between prisoners and their families.”
The ICPO is able to do this through its hardship fund, which provides financial assistance for families to stay in contact but also even for basics such as the provision of food, water, medicines and toiletries.
Mr Hanley said: “In lots of other cases it might be around assisting with communication grants for phone credit or stamps, so that families can stay in contact and not become strangers or estranged with one another through time and distance. So, it’s really important that we facilitate those and support those bonds through those grants where we can.”
Their 2019 annual report revealed there were 10,000 letters, phone calls, emails, to, from or on behalf of ICPO and Irish people in prison overseas.
“One thing that strikes me, and I didn’t fully appreciate until I took this job, was how many people in prison particularly if they’re there for a long time have nobody. The levels of loneliness and isolation: It remains remarkable to me how many people for whom their ICPO caseworker is their only contact with the outside world,” he said.
Mr Hanley said he visited a prisoner a few years ago who hadn’t received a visit for 16 years “so it can be really quite stark”.
Resettlement is another part of their work, in which they would help prisoners plan for their release. “It might be that they are looking to be referred or to get plugged into services here when they’re released, whether it’s around vocational education, be it counselling or access to welfare benefits, particularly those who’ve been away for a lot for a very, very long time, and maybe were deported back here,” Mr Hanley said.
Interest
“It’s also in society’s interest that these people referred to particular resettlement supports and post release support, as it does reduce the likelihood of reoffending. And it’s in everybody’s interest in that case.”
In some cases, a person who is deported back to Ireland may not have lived here for 40-50 years and don’t have any family that can support their transition back into society and offer them a place to stay someone who cares for them.
“We do work with a number of other agencies in terms of accessing benefits, education, vocational assistance, counselling, and then the caseworkers would provide a degree of accompaniment and support to those that want it,” Mr Hanley explained. “There are challenges, of course, and it isn’t a panacea unfortunately, and for some, I think particularly if they have underlying health or addiction issues, it is more challenging in terms of their resettlement”.
“We do the best we can in all cases but I wouldn’t pretend that every situation has a happy ending and everything has worked out perfectly. But in many cases, there are certainly positive outcomes for people and they get on with their lives and move on from what has happened.”
Last week the ICPO expressed concern after the publication of the Minister for Justice and Equality Helen McEntee’s annual report on the operation of the Transfer of Sentenced Persons Acts (1995 and 1997). The report provides annual figures on the number of prisoners transferred into and out of the State. It revealed that no Irish prisoner was transferred into the State from an overseas prison for the fourth year in a row, and three quarters of those who applied to transfer to an Irish prison were refused last year.
Mr Hanley said the 2020 figures “shine a light on what is at this point, a barely-functioning system”.
“These numbers are unprecedented and run contrary to the Government’s stated policy that prisoners should be permitted to serve their sentences close to their families – not least because of the humanitarian benefit to prisoner’s families but also because of the improved resettlement outcomes such family engagement and supported release programmes have for society. The system has essentially ground to a halt and Irish people in prison overseas and their families here in Ireland feel utterly let down by the State.”
Transfer
Mr Hanley continued: “Even the number of people applying to transfer into the State points to a broken system. Eight applications were received in 2020; whereas five years ago the number of applications was double that. Irish prisoners overseas are coming to the harsh realisation that the opportunity to serve their remaining sentence close to their families and support network is no longer a possibility.”
He described this as “short-sighted, as prisoners who receive regular visits from families have been shown to be much less likely to reoffend”.
For families, having someone incarcerated overseas is a huge emotional struggle and undoubtedly this is exacerbated by a Government who are seemingly unwilling to expedite a required amendment to the Transfer of Sentenced Persons Act, which was highlighted by a Supreme Court decision in 2016.
In the meantime, prisoners can face very challenging conditions in prisons around the world, with Mr Hanley reluctant to name any country or region as there could be a variety of prisons with different standards.
“Conditions certainly in some countries are an issue. In terms of our hardship grants, we can get grants to people, sometimes they’ll have to buy food, possibly water, toiletries, basic necessities like that, which are really important things in terms of the inherent dignity of every human person, that they would have access to those basic necessities,” he said. “And for whatever reason, they might not always be available, due to overcrowding and conditions and a whole assortment of other reasons. So where we can provide support in that respect, we certainly do.
“For families, it’s practical things like the distance, even time zones, even if you have a loved one in Australia, the concern might not be the conditions but the challenge is the cost of visiting or the time of day that you might get a call or not be able to get your son or daughter or husband or wife or whomever it may be. So they all bring with them their own particular challenges and of course, I’d say the length of time that somebody has been living in a particular country prior to the arrest maybe they’re only traveling or passing through, but others may have been living there for a period of time, and may or may not have support on the ground and all those things factored in.”
Regarding an Irish person receiving support from someone living in the foreign country, Mr Hanley says there is a “huge debt” owed to Irish missionaries. With many aging missionaries returning home or dying abroad, he said this “will be a challenge in years to come”.
“We have a huge debt to Irish missionaries, in terms of the visitation that they would have provided to many of our clients, providing on the ground practical witness, care and supports with people who might be in some of the most challenging conditions imaginable,” Mr Hanley said.
“They are willing to spend four or five hours driving, getting on a bus and traveling out of the city to wait for an hour and a half to queue to get into a prison to spend an hour and a half talking to somebody and providing that support, maybe bringing money for their prison canteen, for some basic necessities and things like that. Then obviously, with the prisoner’s permission, the missionary can let us know how they’re getting on, and if they need any further advice and support: it is certainly something that will be very hard to replace.
He added that the Irish missionaries he has worked with are “incredibly unassuming”, but the level of impact they have with the ICPO’S clients “is hard to quantify or measure”.
“I can think of so many right now, helping people to endure and helping people to persevere, and having people to withstand the difficulties particularly in those darker early days. Being that constant and that presence, someone that’s willing to come and sit with them is a huge gift that they give quietly.”
The ICPO had heightened concern for prisoners as the Covid-19 pandemic spread across the world as many are particularly vulnerable due to their confinement.
“I think what we noticed was an increase really in the level of mental health strain being experienced by many of our clients, many of whom might have underlying vulnerabilities,” said Mr Hanley.
“The majority would have been subjected to heightened restrictions and lockdown during the pandemic, meaning they are often spending 23 hours a day in their cells. So a priority for us, in addition to the individual casework support via phone, letter and email, we would have increased the hardship fund grants to enable clients to stay in touch with loved ones and the ICPO.
“There were certainly some prisons where the virus did get a hold and it was particularly worrying. We’ve supported clients in their 80s and 90s who were particularly fearful of contracting the virus in a confined setting.”
Concerns
Mr Hanley said: “On a number of occasions, we would have needed to contact prison health departments to raise concerns, maybe the physical and mental health of individual prisoners in relation to the virus, being locked down, and so on and so forth.”
A few months ago the ICPO dealt with a challenging situation in which an Irish prisoner who served his sentence abroad was deported back to Ireland after having lived 50 years in the country in which he was incarcerated. Although he was looking at returning to a country with no supports and facing potential homelessness, fortunately the ICPO managed to get him into quarantine and subsequently referred on to other services.
Speaking about the ICPO and how they adapted and continued to operate during the pandemic, he said: “I think overall as an organisation we adapted reasonably well in terms of working from home. Prisons came on a long way in many respects in terms of new methods of communication, that they afforded prisoners, whether by secure email or even video calls in some instances.
“One particular challenge for the ICPO was our inability to undertake prison visits. Between the London and Maynooth offices, we would visit approximately 1,000 Irish prisoners overseas every year.
“That has been something obviously we haven’t been able to do and very much look forward to being able to do again, that’s an important part of our work to go and to visit, to listen, to build a relationship and to understand their circumstance, to offer help where we can, whether resettlement or otherwise, or relay messages to family members, discuss how they’re getting on with their courses in prison and the whole assortment of issues that come up that are often more easily shared in a face to face capacity.”
For the ICPO, they are continuing to minister to those who are often forgotten and left behind by society, and while the prisoners are serving sentences for crimes they committed, their dignity is being maintained through their efforts with the help of the Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conference, the Department of Justice, the Society of St Vincent de Paul and the Sisters of Mercy.