ICPO NEWS Issue No. 72 Summer 2016 ICPO 30th 25 years since Resettlement Anniversary the release In Ireland Conference of the While on Birmingham Six Licence The ICPO It is estimated that at any one time there are in excess of 1,200 Irish Contents people in prison overseas. The ICPO has contact with Irish people in prisons in more than twenty countries, the majority of whom are in the UK with many more detained throughout the US, Australia, Europe, Resettlement in Ireland while on licence 3 South and Central America and the Far East. London News 4 The Irish Council for Prisoners Overseas (ICPO) was established by the Irish Catholic Bishops' Conference in 1985 in response to serious ICPO 30th Anniversary 6 concerns regarding the number of Irish men and women in UK prisons. These deeply held concerns related to their trials and Family Issues 11 subsequent imprisonment. Campaigning for innocent prisoners in the UK 12 In recent years the ICPO has been able to offer a more comprehensive Let go of your stresses 14 service to prisoners and to expand our existing services to prisoners’ families. Currently the ICPO works for all Irish prisoners wherever Writing and Receiving Letters in ICPO 15 they are. It makes no distinction in terms of religious faith, the nature of the prison conviction, or of a prisoner’s status. Your Letters 18 Smidín 19 The objectives of the ICPO are to: Sports Update 20 Identify and respond to the needs of Irish prisoners abroad, and their families; Puzzles 22 Research and provide relevant information to prisoners on issues Recent Events 24 such as deportation, repatriation and transfer; Focus public attention on issues affecting Irish prisoners (ill- treatment, racist abuse, etc); Engage in practical work in aid of justice and human rights for Irish migrants, refugees and prisoners at an international level; Visit Irish prisoners abroad where possible both in the UK and elsewhere. Greetings from all in the ICPO. STAFF Maynooth Brian Hanley, Catherine Jackson, Claire O’Connell, Ian Hanna and This edition of the newsletter looks at an important Bernie Martin issue for many of you, namely returning to Ireland London whilst on licence in the UK. Fr. Gerry McFlynn, Liz Power, Breda Power, Russel Harland and Declan Ganly We have included a lengthy feature on the conference Volunteers Maynooth: Sr. Agnes Hunt, Eileen Boyle, Joan O’Cléirigh and ICPO held in Dublin Castle in December last year. Sr. Anne Sheehy President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins opened London: Sr. Maureen McNally, Noel Wynn, Sr Maura Keane, proceedings and his remarks are included in full. Jayne O’Connor, Sr Agnes Miller, Sara Thompson, Kathleen Walsh and Sally Murphy There are also interesting and thought-provoking articles about letter writing from prison and the 25th ICPO is a registered charity with covenanted tax status under its parent body the IECE. UK: 280742 Ireland: CHY 5956 anniversary of the release of the Birmingham Six. Views expressed in ‘ICPO News’ are the author’s own and not necessarily those of the ICPO You might have noticed the colourful front page! This is a photo taken by ICPO Administrator, Bernie Martin, on How we may be contacted: the nearby College and Seminary grounds here in ICPO, Columba Centre Maynooth, Co. Kildare, Ireland Maynooth. ICPO volunteer Agnes Hunt has helpfully Tel: 01-505-3156 Fax: 01-629-2363 Email: [email protected] Web: www.icpo.ie provided a beautiful article to accompany it. My thanks as always to our regular contributors – ICPO, 50-52 Camden Square London NW1 9XB, England Caitriona Ní Bhaoill, author of Smídín Gaeilge, Ian Hanna Tel: 0207-482-4148 Fax: 0207-482-4815 for his sports supplement and Claire O‟Connell who Email: [email protected] authors the Family Page. Material on these pages are copyright © the Irish Council for Prisoners Overseas or reproduced with permission from the copyright owner. It is not permitted to reproduce, republish, redistribute or resell, in all or Lastly, I wish to thank the ICPO staff and volunteers (in in part, any material from this newsletter without the written permis- sion of the editor. particular ICPO volunteer Eileen Boyle) for their hard work in putting this newsletter together. The ICPO is greatly indebted to its funders for their generous support. Brian Hanley ICPO Coordinator 2 Resettlement in Ireland While on Licence Claire O’Connell ICPO is receiving an increasing number of enquiries Ireland, including but not limited to, any from prisoners in the UK who are due to be released on compassionate reasons? If the answer is no, then licence, and would like to serve the term of their licence your application will be refused. in Ireland. Is your index offence connected to or potentially Many Irish prisoners in the UK have strong family ties connected to Ireland (for example fraud involving in Ireland. Those families may be in a position to offer Irish companies)? If the answer is yes, then your important support to prisoners on their release; application will be refused. whether that is with accommodation, finance, getting back into work or simply emotional support and If your application is still viable at this stage then your encouragement. Probation Officer will consider a third question: While a licence imposed in England and Wales is not Would resettlement in Ireland undermine the theoretically enforceable in Ireland or any other protection of the public, increase the risk of country outside the UK and Islands, in some cases the reoffending and/or undermine rehabilitation? If Irish Probation Service may consider supervising a the answer is yes, your application will be refused. person who has been allowed to resettle in Ireland There is an expectation that a prisoner on release will during his/her licence period. It does so on the basis have to spend at least some time on licence in the UK whereby if a person who returns to Ireland under the before they can be considered for resettlement in supervision of the Irish Probation Service fails to Ireland. This is to assess the offender‟s likelihood of adhere to the rules and conditions prescribed by their reoffending and compliance with licence conditions. Irish Probation Officer, their Probation Officer in the There is no pre-defined period which you must spend on UK can be contacted and an arrest warrant issued. licence in the UK and instead it depends on the The UK Prison Service acknowledge that allowing complexity of the case and the risk of serious harm. offenders to permanently resettle abroad can assist in What ICPO can do the aims of preventing re-offending and aiding ICPO are regularly informed by prisoners that their rehabilitation. In recognition of this, it is possible to Probation Officers are unaware of the possibility of make an application, via your Probation Officer to be resettlement on licence abroad or of the rules that considered for resettlement in Ireland. The details are apply. In these circumstances we can send you a letter contained in Prison Service Instruction 20/2014 (PI outlining the process, and enclose a duplicate which you 14/2014) „Permanent Resettlement Outside England and can pass to your Probation Officer. We are also happy Wales of Offenders on Licence‟. The UK Probation to speak to them directly and put them in touch with Service deals with these applications on a regular basis staff at the Irish Probation Service who consider and and there have been a number of prisoners transferred process such requests. on licence to Ireland in the last year. Transferring to Northern Ireland How to apply As Northern Ireland is a jurisdiction within the UK, You should notify your Probation Officer/Offender there is a presumption that a prisoner will be subject to Manager of your interest well in advance of your release equivalent monitoring as in England and Wales. Again, date, to allow adequate time for your request to be the UK Probation Service will consider the level of considered. The UK Probation Service will carry out a family or residential ties that you have with Northern risk assessment to decide whether you should be Ireland and whether the transfer would undermine the allowed to resettle in Ireland. If approved, then the protection of the public, increase the risk of Probation Officer will be expected to contact the Irish reoffending and/or undermine rehabilitation. In Probation Service to enquire if they can provide support practice, it can be a difficult and time consuming on a voluntary basis following any move. The word process to secure a transfer of licence to Northern voluntary is used as the Irish Probation Service is not Ireland. If you require further information about this, required to take a person for supervision. please contact the ICPO London office. If you apply to resettle in Ireland on licence, your UK If you have any queries in relation to resettlement in Probation Officer will consider a number of factors: Ireland or Northern Ireland on licence or would like Do you have close family or residential ties in further information please get in touch with either our Maynooth or London offices. 3 Update from London ICPO Office Summer 2016 It seems no time since we compiled the last Prison-visiting throughout the length and breadth of newsletter for our 30th Anniversary Celebration in England and Wales is now proving expensive in terms Dublin (December 2015). Maybe it is with Easter of time, travel and accommodation. Irish prisoners being so early this year that the time-span seems so now vie with Polish prisoners for the unenviable title short. of the largest ethnic group within the prison system The past six months have been a very busy time for and, if those from Northern Ireland are included, the ICPO London office.