Vol. 523 No. 3
20 Mr. Finucane asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if he will provide a training course in race relations for prison officers as proposed by the Prison Officers Association; and the reason he has resisted putting such a course in place to date. [19446/00]
133 Mr. Shatter asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if he will provide a training course in race relations for prison officers as proposed by the Prison Officers Association; and the reason he has resisted putting such a course in place to date. [20896/00]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 20 and 133 together.
I have not in any way resisted the provision of a training course for prison officers – or for anybody else for that matter. I am in favour of doing what we can to minimise the threat which racism – anywhere – poses. My only concern is to ensure that, whatever courses we provide, are actually of use and are informed by best practice.
Prisons are a reflection of the society they serve. Ireland is no exception to this and, as the proportion of our population who are not of Irish descent grows, it may be anticipated that the proportion of the prison population of non-Irish descent will also grow.
Non-nationals in society must be treated with care, justice, dignity and respect. This holds even more so for those non-nationals who, for whatever reason, may find themselves in prison.
In June of this year the Irish Prisons Service advertised in the national press seeking proposals for a research and training project to determine the nature of intercultural awareness, communication and racial equality in Irish prisons.
The proposed project will involve the design and implementation of a qualitative research project to elicit the nature of cultural awareness and diversity among a cross-section of prison staff and prisoners. The findings of this project will provide the basis of a cultural awareness training programme for both staff and prisoners.
