The Irish Times: ‘Mine were only babies when I went in’: How kids’ camp at prison helps parents stay connected to their children
3rd November 2023
On the 31 October 2023, IPRT Executive Director Saoirse Brady attended the kids camp event at Shelton Abbey open prison organised by the Irish Prison Service and the Katharine Howard Foundation.
A heartwarming sight where some of the men and their children got to spend proper quality time together for Halloween.
Read Katie Byrne's report of the event the Irish Independent: ‘Mine were only babies when I went in’: How kids’ camp at prison helps parents stay connected to their children (paywalled)
Maintaining positive family contact is a crucial factor in the rehabilitation of people in prison. However, some families are hindered.
Speaking at the event IPRT Executive Director Saoirse Brady said:
“The reality is that it’s very difficult for children of imprisoned parents to maintain a relationship with their parents. Prisons are often high-security and people don’t want their children to visit them in that environment. They don’t want them to travel a distance for the sake of half an hour. The cost is also an issue, particularly if the wage-earner is now in prison.”
- Read the full Irish Independent article here.
- Read more about IPRT's work on children and families of people in prison: https://actionforfamilies.ie
Related items:
- Irish Independent: Thousands of Irish prisoners receive no in-person visits from family or friends
- Survey: Understanding the financial impact of imprisonment on families and children
- The Sunday Times: Number of pregnant women in Irish jails at a record high
- Irish Examiner: Coroners still to hold almost half of inquests into prisoner deaths in last 12 years
- Irish Examiner: Call for investment in prison alternatives amid overcrowding crisis
