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 :

Method of Payment (please ‘tick’ box )

Cash: Cheque: Bank Transfer: If Bank Transfer; Branch Name: Sort Code:

Contact Address:

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Are you willing to receive IPEA / EPEA information by email? YES: NO:

Are you willing to allow your contact details to be included in the EPEA Directory for International circulation?

YES: NO:

Signature:

Date:

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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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!