4th June 2002
The first study in Ireland on the impact of a parent’s imprisonment on children was published in June 2002. The study, “Parents, Children and Prison: The Effects of Parental Imprisonment on Children,” was conducted at Dublin ‘s Mountjoy Prison by the Dublin Institute of Technology for the Society of St Vincent de Paul. It reveals that nearly two-thirds of the parents in prison said their children were not aware that one parent was incarcerated. Over 96 percent cited difficulties in maintaining a relationship with their children while in prison, for such reasons as brevity of visiting times, visiting conditions and parental loss of authority. Prison governor John Lonergan underscored that the needs of prisoners’ children must be enshrined in prison policy.