Description
Recent years have seen an increase in the involvement of Ombuds offices in prisons. This can be seen in two ways, either through the implementation of the Optional Protocol for the Prevention of Torture and a role in the National Prevention Mechanism or through the handling of prisoner complaints on appeal from the prison service. However, prisons are specific environments, where complaining and engaging with external bodies can take on additional meaning and significance for the person. The right to make a complaint is a long-established right under international human rights law. A key element of this, is the right of appeal to an independent body. Independent bodies play a role in opening up otherwise closed environments to the outside world and are removed from the internal politics and relationships within that in environment. In Ireland, the Inspector of Prisons proposed to give the mandate for prisoner complaint appeals to the Office of the Ombudsman and this was accepted by the government in 2016, however, to date the mandate has not been expanded to this effect. This paper will explore prisoners’ views on this proposal, in particular concerns about accessing theOmbudsman, as well as the potential for reprisals within the prison. Prisoner demographics and experiences vary from those who traditionally complain to the Ombudsman and in considering their views and concerns, recommendations for an
accessible and effective system will be developed.
| Periode | 18 jul. 2024 |
|---|---|
| Evenementstitel | The Future of Ombuds Research: Empirical and Critical Perspectives |
| Evenementstype | Workshop |
| Locatie | Onati, SpainToon op kaart |