Newstalk: Prisoners to be trained retrofit homes under new pilot project

26th February 2024

On 26 February on Newstalk Breakfast, IPRT Executive Director Saoirse Brady responded to reports on the pilot project to train prisoners to retrofit homes being underway at two prisons. This is one of the initiatives coming from the Prison Education Taskforce.

Saoirse also spoke about the secondary punishment that people with convictions can face when trying to find employment, referring to the recent report by IPRT "The Secondary Punishment”: A Scoping Study on Employer Attitudes to Hiring People with Criminal Convictions.

Saoirse said to Ciara Kelly on Newstalk that giving people opportunities is key.

"We know that giving people opportunities when they've come out of prison is key to ensuring that they're less likely to reoffend and that results in safer communities. The other piece is we know there are a lot of people who are entering prison from homelessness and exiting prison into homelessness. While employment is key we need to have a holistic approach to this, and ensure that all the supports are put in place for people leaving prison".

"Nine out of 10 employers said they would consider hiring someone with a past conviction, but they wanted the practical knowhow to know how to support that person back into employment. We would have recommended that supports like an information hub, an information line where an employer could phone to see what the law says, what supports they need to put in place, what policies they need to put in place about when a person discloses a conviction. That was really positive but this is just one piece of the puzzle".

"Somebody has served their sentence; there will be risk assessments done. You have to trust the employer that they've hired somebody; they've gone through a recruitment process. I don't necessarily think that people need to Garda vet somebody coming into their home, we do it all the time. There are social enterprises who are hiring people with past convictions or who have addiction issues, I've had them in my home and I wouldn't think twice about it. You have to believe people will move away from offending if they are given the proper supports after their sentence."

• Listen to Newstalk Breakfast: Pilot scheme to teach prisoners home retrofitting skills begins today
• Read Newstalk online: Prisoners to be trained to retrofit homes in new pilot underway