Foreign National Prisoners and Religious Practice in Irish Prisons

Abstract

This policy and practice note will investigate the extent to which Foreign National Prisoners (FNPs) feel that religious expression is respected in Irish prisons and explore the degree to which the Irish Prison Service (IPS) facilitates these prisoners’ religious dietary preferences. Drawing on 82 semi-structured interviews across eight prisons, the findings demonstrate that while the IPS is generally progressive in accommodating FNPs’ religious needs, provision could be improved in certain respects. The policy and practice note briefly concludes that the IPS could potentially draw on some ‘promising practice’ that has been implemented with respect to religious expression and practice in other European prisons.