Foreign National Prisoners and Religious Practice in Irish Prisons

Abstract

This policy and practice note will investigate the extent to which Foreign National Prisoners (FNPs) feel that religious expression is respected in Irish prisons and explore the degree to which the Irish Prison Service (IPS) facilitates these prisoners’ religious dietary preferences. Drawing on 82 semi-structured interviews across eight prisons, the findings demonstrate that while the IPS is generally progressive in accommodating FNPs’ religious needs, provision could be improved in certain respects. The policy and practice note briefly concludes that the IPS could potentially draw on some ‘promising practice’ that has been implemented with respect to religious expression and practice in other European prisons.

Foreign national prisoners, discrimination and race relations in Irish prisons

“…A common thread running through the testimonies in a recent study on the Irish penal system was positive interactions between prisoners and prison staff (Doyle et al, 2022) and certain participants in this study recounted similar experiences. These interviewees described officers as “very nice” (T37), “good and like they kind of help you with everything” (T35), that they “don’t mistreat us in any way” (T22) and that “they make the life better” (T21).…”

“…However, the perceived variables of “sameness”, or shared cultural attributions, appeared to traverse other differentiating characteristics including skin colour. This point was documented in a recent study of ethnic minorities and FNPs in Ireland (Doyle et al, 2022), where a “black Irish” participant indicated that they were accepted within the prison population because they spoke in a recognisably “local” accent. Notably, this participant felt that this form of “cultural capital” (Bourdieu, 1977) stemmed from a realisation among the Irish prisoners that they were less “other” because they were reared in Ireland which carried value.…”

“…It has been well-rehearsed that the relationships which exist between prison officers and prisoners are at the heart of prison life (Crawley, 2004; Liebling, 2011; Sykes, 1958) and that these interactions are “crucial to life in prison and affect prison order and prisoners’ well-being” (Beijersbergen et al, 2016, p. 843). The spectrum of staff–prisoner relationships reported by the participants in this study varied from officer to officer and ranged from contemptuous “us and them” positions to more cordial and dynamic relations (Crewe, 2011; Doyle et al, 2022, p. 42; King & McDermott, 1988; Liebling et al, 2011). Reflecting on the nuanced perceptions and experiences of FNPs, and the reported inconsistencies in their treatment by prison staff, a large number of participants found that “some officers are alright, but some officers are not” (T11), that “some of them can be nice, you know, respectful towards you.…”

“…Discretion is a core feature of prison work (Crewe, 2011; Klofas, 1986; Liebling, 2008) spanning the gamut of positive and negative practices, and is inextricably linked to officers’ professionalism and the legitimacy of the prison regime (Carrabine, 2005; Liebling, 2011; Sparks & Bottom, 1995). However, discretion appears, at times, to be exercised in a subtle but deliberate way to deny or delay basic requests from FNPs (Doyle et al, 2022). A Romanian prisoner, to take just one example, observed that “Some Irish people, they go and ask for something and straight away, done.…”

“…Gresham Sykes (1958, p. 41) argues that “the most striking fact about this bureaucracy of custodians is its unparalleled position of power – in formal terms, at least” and this power imbalance is particularly evident with respect to the complaints mechanism (Doyle et al, 2022, p. 43). All prisoners must be provided with information on how to make a complaint inter alia upon entry to prison (Doyle et al, 2022, p. 36), but the Council of Europe's Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) reported that there are significant delays in investigating complaints regarding staff abuse, including racial abuse and discrimination, in several Irish prisons (CPT, 2014, 2020).…”