Joint Committee on Traveller issues to discuss Travellers in prison

Eva Osborne

The Joint Committee on Key Issues affecting the Traveller Community (2023) will meet on Thursday to discuss Travellers in prison with stakeholders.

The meeting at 10:30am in Leinster House will hear from representatives from the Irish Penal Reform Trust, Traveller Justice Initiative and Barnardos.

Committee Cathaoirleach Senator Eileen Flynn said: “The Committee looks forward to holding its first public meeting on the subject of ‘Travellers’ experience of the justice system.

“Following on from the work of the previous Joint Committee on Key Issues affecting the Traveller Community and the visits undertaken by this Committee to Castlerea Prison, Mountjoy Female Prison (the Dóchas Centre) and Oberstown Children Detention Campus, the Committee welcomes the opportunity to learn more about Travellers’ experience of the prison system as well as penal reform and alternatives to prison.”

The committee understands that while Travellers represent less than one percent of the population, eight per cent of male prisoners are Travellers, 16 per cent of female prisoners are Travellers, and 21 per cent of children detained are Travellers.

“The Committee will look at the use of ethnic identifiers as a method of equality monitoring using more accurate information. In the coming weeks, we will consider other aspects of the relationship between Travellers and the Justice system in more detail, including Travellers’ trust in the Justice system," Flynn said.

The Joint Committee on Key Issues affecting the Traveller Community (2023) has 14 Members, nine from the Dáil and five from the Seanad.

The Committee was re-established in June 2023 to continue the work of the previous Committee.