CONTACT

Anne Costello

Programme Coordinator

Travellers in Prison Initiative

St Stephen’s Green Trust

PO Box 950

Newbridge

Co. Kildare

E: anne@ssgt.ie

W: www.ssgt.ie

P: 087 657 7666

St. Stephen’s Green Trust is a charitable foundation which

respects human dignity and is committed to helping create

a society where the dignity of all can be realised through

social justice and inclusive, nurturing communities.

TPI PUBLICATIONS

Rachel Doyle | 2017

‘Hearing their Voices’Traveller Women in Prison

Travellers in Prison Initiative: Ethnic Identifiers in Irish Prisons | Page 1

Report completed by Tanya Lalor March 2017

Travellers in Prison InitiativeEthnic Identifiers in Irish PrisonsContext and recommended practice for improving data collection on

Travellers and minority ethnic groups in Irish Prisons

Report completed by Tanya Lalor May 2017

Travellers in Prison InitiativeMidland Traveller Conflict

Mediation InitiativePeer Mediation Pilot Initiative in Castlerea Prison

Evaluation report

Travellers in Prison Initiative: Developing a Strategy 2016 | Page 1

Travellers in Prison Initiative:Developing a Strategy

2016

Ethnic Identifiers in Irish Prisons - Context and

recommended practice for improving data collection on

Travellers and minority ethnic groups in Irish Prisons (2017).

Lalor, T. Ireland: Travellers in Prison Initiative.

Hearing their Voices – Traveller Women in Prison (2017).

Doyle, R. Ireland: Travellers in Prison Initiative.

Midland Traveller Conflict Mediation Initiative - Peer

Mediation Pilot Initiative in Castlerea Prison Evaluation

report (2017). Lalor, T. Ireland: Travellers in Prison Initiative.

Towards Developing a Strategy for Travellers in Prison

(2016). Travellers in Prison Initiative.

Travellers in Prison Initiative Newsletters (2015-2017).

All reports and newsletters are available at www.ssgt.ie

ARTWORK CREDITS

Artwork by Travellers in custody in Arbour Hill, Cork and

Wheatfield Prisons.

OUR BACKGROUND

The Travellers in Prison Initiative (TPI) developed as a

response to the particular needs and circumstances of

Travellers within the 14 prisons in the Republic of Ireland

(ROI), which were highlighted in the Irish Penal Reform

Trust’s 2014 publication, ‘Travellers in the Irish Prison

System: A qualitative study1’. This research report captured

some of the challenges and difficulties experienced by

Travellers in Irish prisons.

While there are no official statistics on the number

of Travellers in prison yet, the Irish Prison Service

acknowledges that Travellers are significantly over-

represented. Although Travellers only account for

approximately 0.6% of the overall population in the ROI,

the Irish Prison Service anecdotally estimates that Travellers

account for 22% of the female prison population and 15%

of the male prison population.

1 Irish Penal Reform Trust (2014). Travellers in the Irish Prison System: A Qualitative Study. Ireland: IPRT Publications. Available at: http://www.iprt.ie/files/IPRT_Travellers_Report_web.pdf

WHO WE ARE

This initiative is operated by St Stephen’s Green Trust

(SSGT). Anne Costello is the part-time Programme

Coordinator based in Galway. SSGT trustees allocated

funding for the TPI for a three-year period (2015-2018).

The Irish Prison Service and the Irish Probation Service also

fund the initiative, and additional grant funding has been

received from the Health Services Executive (HSE) Social

Inclusion Unit, to conduct research on the specific issues for

Traveller women in the criminal justice system.

An interagency steering group was appointed to guide

the direction of the TPI and includes representatives

from Pavee Point Traveller & Roma Centre, the National

Traveller Women’s Forum, the Irish Traveller Movement, the

Irish Prison Service, the Probation Service, the Irish Penal

Reform Trust, Mincéirs Whiden, Exchange House, Traveller

Counselling Service, the HSE Social Inclusion Unit, IASIO,

the Irish Red Cross, the Education and Training Board,

Traveller Mediation Service and Parish of the Travelling

People.

WHAT WE DO

The overall aim of the TPI is to embed changes in policy

and practice that have a positive impact on Travellers in

prison, their families and communities. The following five

key action areas have been identified:

• To build a knowledge base about Travellers in prison

• To expand and improve access to prison-based services

for Travellers

• To strengthen supports for families of Travellers in prison

and after prison, using a multi-agency approach

• To mainstream a peer-support model to reinforce self-

advocacy and create a supportive environment for

Travellers to self-identify in prison

• To increase awareness and boost the capacity of Irish

Prison and Probation Service staff through training and

learning programmes