This paper is based on a study commissioned by the Department of Children and Youth Affairs in Ireland. It addresses the topic of recommendations emanating from child death inquiries and reviews; it looks at the factors which privilege some recommendations over others when it comes to implementation and explores whether a more collaborative approach to development might be more beneficial. As part of the study, the researchers to propose a new model for developing recommendations which will address the complexity of child protection practice, reflect its core principles and promote learning. The study found that recommendations were generally implemented when they fitted with social norms and aspiration of the time and particularly when they synchronised with policy developments that had already been initiated and required increased investment and public support to reach completion. The research drew a distinction between addressing and implementing recommendations, and overall found that a type of ‘recommendation fatigue’ had evolved following the succession if inquiries. It proposed that in the future, recommendations should be drafted in collaboration with key stakeholders which would provide the team with a range of expert knowledge strengthen the methodological rigour of the process and promote the likelihood that they would be feasible and realistic. The study proposed a new model of CLEAR recommendations (Case for change; Learning orientated: Evidence based; Assigning responsibility and easy to Review). Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Key Practitioner Messages When inquiry or review recommendations are too numerous, impractical, expensive, lack relevance and are too far out of step with social norms, they are unlikely to be implemented A collaborative approach can ensure that recommendations are informed by relevant sources of information, knowledge and expertise. Recommendations should be framed in a way that illustrates the rationale for change, promotes learning, cites evidence and identifies the organisations responsible for implementation.

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It has been contended that the hyper-criminalisation of immigrants and especially non-European Union (non-EU) immigrants explains the increased presence of foreign nationals in European prisons. A more nuanced explanation for the changed composition of European prison populations is offered by this article. Structural factors may result in immigrants having a greater risk of criminalisation than has the native population, but the presence of foreign nationals in European prisons must also be understood as a product of changes in patterns of criminal activity and increased mobility. The article uses the case of the Republic of Ireland (ROI) to probe the reasons behind the reported presence of foreign nationals in European prisons.

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