Female Imprisonment in Ireland: The Need to Research These ‘Institutions of Hope’.

• In Event: Prison Working Group: Life in women's prisons: Adjustment, quality of life, and peer support

Abstract

Women who offend have been recognised as a complex and vulnerable cohort internationally, yet they continue to be marginalised in criminology, penal policy, and prison systems. In Ireland, female imprisonment is a particularly under-researched area and previous empirical studies are now outdated. However, the female prison landscape continually receives particular attention, both positive and negative. Recently, there have been significant developments for women in prison in Ireland. Ireland’s first gender-informed, female-only prison, the Dóchas Centre – ‘Dóchas’ meaning ‘hope’ in the Irish language - was recently joined by a new female prison in Limerick in October 2023. This has been said to exemplify international best practice, constitute a trauma-informed environment and continues the legacy of an institution of ‘hope’. Nevertheless, Ireland’s female prisons continue to be subject to criticism, and there are concerns relating to the outcomes stemming from recent reforms. This highlights the critical need for comprehensive research on female imprisonment in Ireland.

This paper will provide an introduction to female imprisonment in Ireland, including the new ‘state of the art’ prison and its context within a challenging penal landscape. It will present the need for in-depth research on the lived experiences, power relations and cultures within female prisons in Ireland. Lastly, it will present how, and why this research aims to be conducted through an ethnographic approach within both institutions. This research will have significant findings for imprisonment research and penal policy internationally.

Author

• Maria Cleary, School of Law and Criminology, Maynooth University, Maynooth, Kildare, Ireland