4 Introducing Child Detention in Ireland
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Ursula Kilkelly
Abstract
Having traced the development of Irish youth justice law and policy in Chapter 3, this chapter focuses more specifically on child detention, providing an historical and then a more contemporary point of reference for the reforms outlined in the rest of the book. Ireland has a long tradition of over-reliance on institutional care and, throughout the 20th century, children in industrial and reformatory schools suffered harsh and often abusive conditions (O’Sullivan and O’Donnell, 2012). Although the separation of children from adult prisoners took place as early as 1906 (Osborough, 1975), it was not until 1985 that proposals were made in the Whitaker Report (Commission of Inquiry into the Penal System, 1985) for a more enlightened model of detention for children, in small residential settings, with qualified and skilled staff (Sargent, 2016). In effect, however, rights-based reform of child detention took decades to achieve and required the adoption of a range of legal and administrative measures, including legislative reform, clear national policy and significant capital investment. The first part of this chapter sets out the role that these measures played in enabling the reform of child detention in Ireland. The second part introduces the current legal framework and governance arrangements for Oberstown Children Detention Campus, the national child detention facility in Ireland, while it also introduces the particular circumstances of the children who are detained there. In these respects, it provides important context for the deeper analysis that takes place in the chapters that follow.
Abstract
Having traced the development of Irish youth justice law and policy in Chapter 3, this chapter focuses more specifically on child detention, providing an historical and then a more contemporary point of reference for the reforms outlined in the rest of the book. Ireland has a long tradition of over-reliance on institutional care and, throughout the 20th century, children in industrial and reformatory schools suffered harsh and often abusive conditions (O’Sullivan and O’Donnell, 2012). Although the separation of children from adult prisoners took place as early as 1906 (Osborough, 1975), it was not until 1985 that proposals were made in the Whitaker Report (Commission of Inquiry into the Penal System, 1985) for a more enlightened model of detention for children, in small residential settings, with qualified and skilled staff (Sargent, 2016). In effect, however, rights-based reform of child detention took decades to achieve and required the adoption of a range of legal and administrative measures, including legislative reform, clear national policy and significant capital investment. The first part of this chapter sets out the role that these measures played in enabling the reform of child detention in Ireland. The second part introduces the current legal framework and governance arrangements for Oberstown Children Detention Campus, the national child detention facility in Ireland, while it also introduces the particular circumstances of the children who are detained there. In these respects, it provides important context for the deeper analysis that takes place in the chapters that follow.
Chapters in this book
- Front Matter i
- Contents iii
- List of Cases and Instruments iv
- List of Figures vi
- About the Authors vii
- Acknowledgements viii
- Foreword ix
- Introduction 1
- Children’s Rights in Detention 5
- An International Perspective 20
- Irish Youth Justice Law and Policy 35
- Introducing Child Detention in Ireland 50
- Oberstown and the Process of Change 68
- Implementing Children’s Rights in Detention 87
- Children’s Rights to Protection from Harm 105
- Staff Wellbeing and Communication 122
- International and National Influences and Advocacy 139
- Reflections: Enablers and Barriers to Reform 155
- Afterword 177
- References 180
- Index 203
Chapters in this book
- Front Matter i
- Contents iii
- List of Cases and Instruments iv
- List of Figures vi
- About the Authors vii
- Acknowledgements viii
- Foreword ix
- Introduction 1
- Children’s Rights in Detention 5
- An International Perspective 20
- Irish Youth Justice Law and Policy 35
- Introducing Child Detention in Ireland 50
- Oberstown and the Process of Change 68
- Implementing Children’s Rights in Detention 87
- Children’s Rights to Protection from Harm 105
- Staff Wellbeing and Communication 122
- International and National Influences and Advocacy 139
- Reflections: Enablers and Barriers to Reform 155
- Afterword 177
- References 180
- Index 203
