A new bespoke Human Rights Training Course for prison staff has been formally launched, today, by the Minister for Justice, Equality and Defence, Alan Shatter TD in the Irish Prison Service College in Portlaoise.
The Training programme, which was jointly developed by the Irish Human Rights Commission (IHRC) in partnership with the Irish Prison Service, is now being delivered to the 3,500 staff employed in our prisons.
Speaking at the launch the Minister welcomed this unique training project which he said was a proactive project aimed at protecting human rights. "The protection of human rights is not solely a matter for Government or for policy makers" said the Minister. "In the Irish Prison Service, human rights concerns are relevant from management to the staff at the front line. We should remember that we can, by our own actions, be the cause of another being denied their basic rights as a human. Ignorance of law or of best practice in this area is not and cannot be used as an excuse for the denial for human rights" he added.
The Minister acknowledged that there had been occasions when human rights issues in prisons had been raised by the Inspector of Prisons in his prison inspection reports but noted that the Irish Prison Service had shown that "as a service it is willing to listen to the constructive criticism it has received, and is prepared to effect changes in order to positively react to the issues raised" The Minister congratulated both the Irish Prison Service and the Irish Human Rights Commission for this unique project which he said was "indicative of the positive, inspiring work" that they do and that the initiative would "enhance the protection of human rights in our prisons".
Speaking at the launch the Director General of the Irish Prison Service, Michael Donnellan said that the Human Rights Awareness Programme was a vital component of the 3 Year Strategy and that training prison staff would ensure that "Respect for human rights is not just about the physical conditions of detention but also, and more importantly, it is the manner in which we treat our prisoners each day. It is about treating prisoners with humanity and with respect".
Des Hogan, Acting CEO of the Irish Human Rights Commission said "Respecting the dignity and worth of every person is a core human rights principle. We are very pleased to be working in partnership with the Irish Prison Service College in developing a bespoke Human Rights Education and Training Programme for Irish Prison Service staff. This Training Programme takes the international human rights standards and supports prison officers and the Irish Prison Service more generally to apply those standards in their every day interaction with prisoners."
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