New Report on Irish Prisons
The report calls for a radical change in prison policy. It provides an in-depth analysis of the prison system and outlines 15 recommendations for the future.
The paper highlights a need for a clearer articulation of values and the upholding of international human rights principles, concluding with a chapter of 15 recommendations.
Click here for Report 'The Irish Prison System:Vision, Values, Reality'.
Coverage by Irish Examiner Coverage by Irish Independent Coverage by thejournal.ie
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Time to end bankrupt prison policy, says Jesuit Centre for Faith and Justice
Wednesday, 14 March 2012
The Jesuit Centre for Faith and Justice has called on the Government to adopt a radically different approach to imprisonment, ending what it describes as the bankrupt policy of recent decades.
Speaking as the Jesuit Centre's report, The Irish Prison System: Vision, Values, Reality, is published, Fr Peter McVerry SJ, who works with the Centre, said: "Penal policy over the past twenty years has passively accepted a continual rise in the prison population. More and more prison places have been provided – at huge cost. But the result has been a bit like running up a down escalator: the improvements in basic conditions that could have been expected to occur as a result of new prison building have been largely wiped out by increasing levels of overcrowding." Fr McVerry added:"The Minister for Justice and the prison system now needs to systematically set about reducing the numbers in prison and should set a limit to the population at around 2,700."
New publication reflecting on 50 years since Vatican II
Professor Ladislas Orsy SJ, Canon Lawyer and theologian, a champion of human rights and the heritage of Vatican Two will launch new publication, 'Reaping the Harvest: Fifty Years after Vatican II', by Drs Suzanne Mulligan (ed.), James Corkery S.J. & Gerrry O'Hanlon S.J. on Wednesday, 13 June 2012 in the Arrupe Room, Milltown Park, Ranelagh, Dublin 6, starting at 6:00 p.m.
Significance of this publication:
When Pope John XXIII convened the Second Vatican Council on 11 October 1962, few people could have foreseen the impact that it would have on the life of the Church. Many believed that the Council would simply ratify positions where there was immediate consensus, and that its business would be concluded in a matter of months. Yet, the Council lasted until December 1965, and through the many documents it promulgated it breathed new life into the Church. The Council also represented an attempt by the Church to face the modern world in a more positive and open spirit.
Why Care? Education Guide
Why Care? is an on online education resource produced by the Jesuit Centre for Faith and Justice, accessible at: www.whycare.ie. This educational initiative has been designed to introduce students and young people to contemporary social justice issues. This website helps to propel complex concepts of social justice from the abstract into the practical. These concepts are broken down into digestible chunks that are then explained in the modern Irish context. Focusing on social justice in general, then housing and homelessness, and crime and prison, the website provides a step-by-step introduction to understanding the many dimensions of these issues. It is hoped that the site will encourage informed debate among young people and will underline the importance of acting for social justice.
A New Vision for the Catholic Church: A View from Ireland (2011)
The church, the mystical body of Christ, has become a monstrosity. The head is very large, but the body is shrunken’ (Pope Pius XI). Jesuit theologian Gerry O’Hanlon reflects on the current crisis in the Catholic Church in Ireland (post Ferns, Ryan and Murphy Reports) and worldwide. He discusses how the vision of Church as People of God in the Second Vatican Council failed to be implemented, due to lack of appropriate collegial structures. He argues that we need to deepen this vision for today, and to embody it in new structures which will allow the full participation of lay people, and in particular of women. He proposes the need for a National Assembly of the Catholic Church in Ireland, and ultimately for another worldwide Ecumenical Council. His analysis will be of interest to all who are concerned about the current crisis in the Catholic Church.Time to Give?
Time to Give? Volunteering Opportunities in the Criminal Justice Area is a guide to possibilities for becoming a volunteer in organisations whose aim is to prevent involvement in crime or to respond to the needs of those affected by crime.
To view a PDF version of the directory Click here
Theology in the Irish Public Square (2010)
In this collection of articles, Gerry O’Hanlon SJ explores the connections between faith and real life, at a time of crisis and darkness. Drawing on the rich resources of Christian humanism, he examines a wide range of contemporary issues – economic recession, crime and punishment, health and sickness, European Union, equality, dialogue with Muslims – in a way that will interest both believers and non-believers alike.
Theology in the Irish Public Square is published by The Columba Press. Gerry O’Hanlon SJ is a staff member of the Jesuit Centre for Faith and Justice and Associate Professor of Systematic Theology at the Milltown Institute.
To order this book from the publisher click here.
