Follow Up: PRILA hosts workshop on Prison Oversight in International and National Contexts

The PRILA project hosted the Prison Oversight in International and National Contexts: Dynamics, Dilemmas and Opportunities online workshop on April 2nd 2020. The workshop brought together experts in the field of prison oversight to discuss and reflect upon PRILA research findings. PRILA presentations focused on a number of thematic areas, which included:

Prison Perspectives on the CPT (Ciara O’Connell): Based on field research conducted in Norway, Scotland and Ireland, this presentation shared how prisoners and prisoner staff experience, are aware of, and value the oversight function of the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT).

Recommendations-making by Prison Oversight Bodies in the EU (Eva Aizpurua): This presentation examined one of the central tasks of NPMs and prison oversight bodies: the making of recommendations. Findings were based on data from the first EU-wide survey of prison oversight bodies, with responses from all Member States.

Prison Perspectives on Oversight (Mary Rogan): This presentation examined prisoner perceptions and awareness of national prison inspection, and also prison and penal administrator experiences of a CPT visit to Ireland.

The final session, Oversight Best Practice - Discussion on PRILA Recommendations, provided an opportunity for participants to share feedback on prison monitoring processes, recommendation design and dissemination, monitoring of recommendations and ensuring transparency and credibility in prison oversight.

The PRILA team wishes to thank all of the workshop participants (listed below). The team will soon be amending the Oversight Best Practice recommendations to reflect the workshop discussions.

For more information about the workshop, please feel free to get in touch at prila at tcd.ie

Workshop Participants:

Dr. Christine Bicknell, Senior Lecturer, University of Exeter

Dr. Ian Cameron, Inspector, Criminal Justice Inspection Northern Ireland

Helen Casey, Principal Officer, Office of the Inspector of Prisons, Ireland

Hugh Chetwynd, Head of Division, European Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT)

Carmen Comas-Mata Mira, Member, Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture (SPT)

Professor Sir Malcolm Evans, Chair, Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture (SPT)

Patricia Gilheaney, Inspector, Office of the Inspector of Prisons, Ireland

Julia Kozma, Member, European Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT)

Michelle Martyn, Senior Research and Policy Project Manager, Irish Penal Reform Trust (IPRT)

Mary Angela Murphy, Detention Adviser, International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)

Fíona Ní Chinnéide, Executive Director, Irish Penal Reform Trust (IPRT)

Dr. Elina Steinerte, Research Associate, University of Bristol

Anica Tomšić Stojkovska, Advise, Croatian NPM

PRILA Team : Dr. Mary Rogan, Dr. Ciara O'Connell, Dr Eva Aizpurua, Dr Christine Morgenstern, Sarah Curristan, Sophie van der Valk, Orliath Rice, Amy Walsh.