Irish citizens imprisoned overseas should be granted medical cards and have greater access to the State’s statutory benefits when they return home, according to new research.
Just 100 people who have served prison sentences abroad return to Ireland every year, but those are “acutely vulnerable and lack many of the basic supports that people take for granted”.
In a major report, A Step at a Time: the Resettlement Needs of Irish People Returning from Prison Overseas, the Irish Council for Prisoners Overseas (ICPO) has called for a series of actions.
Safe and secure accommodation was the key to helping released prisoners move away from criminality, while all State agencies should co-operate before the released prisoners arrive in Ireland, it said.
The paperwork needed for Personal Public Service (PPS) numbers, medical cards, housing grants and other welfare benefits should be processed before they return, according to the report.
Greater access to social benefits in Ireland would pay society back over time, speakers told a Dublin Castle conference, where the research was presented, because it would help many to avoid falling back into crime.
“Taking the often difficult circumstances of returning prisoners into account, it should be possible for them to be able to access benefits more quickly and for applications for PPS numbers and social welfare to be commenced before they return to Ireland,” the report said.
The research also said returning prisoners should be included in any scheme relating to the provision of medical cards prior to release from prison. “On their return, many prisoners possess significant mental and physical health problems associated with their imprisonment overseas,” it said.
“Increased facilitation should be provided to returning ex-prisoners to access health care supports promptly upon their release and return to Ireland.”
Meanwhile, researcher Paul Gavin said the State should consider helping family members to fly to visit relatives in jail abroad – particularly in Britain, to ensure family ties are maintained.
“Not all ex-prisoners have supportive family networks in Ireland, and they may benefit from peer support in order to grow supportive networks. Families need support preparing for the return of a loved one,” according to the report.
The research also called for a system such as the assisted prison visits scheme, which exists in Britain and Northern Ireland, to be introduced in the State. “The price of air fares to the UK has reduced significantly and a vouched scheme providing modest grants of a few hundred euro to a relatively small number of prisoners’ families would be of considerable benefit to those who require it,” it said.
Also addressing the conference, President Michael D Higgins called for a more compassionate approach from citizens in relation to prisoners.
“It is probably fair to say that many in society choose not to engage in the welfare of those who are imprisoned,” Mr Higgins said.
He said prisoners were spoken of with “indifference” and as though they were a “different species”. He added citizens ought to treat prisoners with “not just empathy but a sense of justice”.
He paid tribute to the ICPO on its 30th birthday, saying it had played an invaluable role in caring for thousands of Irish in foreign jails.
