Mr. John Lonergan:

I was asked to share my experiences of prison. From my experiences during the years, crime and antisocial behaviour give the greatest amount of oxygen to the negative perception of the Traveller community. The media play a big part in this and sometimes politicians do too. The highlighting of an individual crime, if it is related to a member of the Traveller community, will arouse instant anger and considerable antagonism, leading to violence and prejudice. It is one of the main areas in which crime can have a very negative impact on perceptions and attitudes.

In some ways, the more progress one makes in achieving integration, the greater the difficulty in other ways. In prison in the old days - I can go back 50 years - members of the Traveller community were readily and easily identifiable. They often lived together. Believe it or not, there was a cell in A division in Mountjoy Prison that was known as "the Caravan". It got its name from the fact that perhaps ten or 12 members of the Traveller community in prison resided in it. Other prisoners christened it "the Caravan" and one can see the consequences. It meant that Travellers were stigmatised. In those days all of the dirty jobs in prison were given to members of the Traveller community. That meant that they were unconsciously discriminated against. They did not participate in a wide variety of other activities. The prisoner community - it continues to this day - had a very negative attitude towards members of the Traveller community which saw itself as better than it. That is an old Irish attitude which can surface regularly in prison and it creates a difficulty.

The matter of identity is one for the representatives of the Traveller community and society in general to take on board. The greater the progress in achieving integration, the more difficult it is to identify Travellers. I was governor of Mountjoy Prison for many years. There were many inmates from the Traveller community and I never knew it. The only time I knew was when they said it themselves. Sometimes they argued that they were discriminated against because they were Travellers, but we would not have had that information without them saying it. Often people do not understand the information it is assumed comes when a person goes to prison is not known at all. Very little information on a prisoner's background - sometimes none - comes with him or her when committed to prison. Therefore, the idea that the establishment has information on people's backgrounds is questionable. The issue of identity certainly presents a difficulty in putting in place facilities and support systems.

One of the greatest facilities to change perception is, as mentioned, participation. I came across some amazing performances and achievements by members of the Traveller community when they were involved in activities in the prison, including creative and educational activities. Opportunities for participation are crucial.

The second element which is major is confidence. Many from the Traveller community whom I met would not participate because they did not have the confidence to do so. They did not believe they would be able to do so. They felt inferior, which prevented them from participating. Even if they were encouraged to participate, they still found it difficult to do so.

Health care was mentioned. It is a major issue. The one positive about prison is that it can and does provide for an intervention that would not take place on the outside. Health care is a very significant element. I noted the difference between male and female Travellers in prison. The women were certainly more likely to involve themselves in health care issues and look after their health. Men - it is not confined to those in the Traveller community - are reluctant to participate in preventive medicine or go for check-ups to prevent illness. Prison affords an opportunity to do so, but it requires involvement. One of the difficulties often is getting consent and motivating individuals to participate. The services are in place, but they are not availed of because prisoners do not come forward to use them.

The same applies to education. To support the comments made by Mr. Patrick McDonagh, there is no question in my mind but that education is the most significant element of the change process. The more educated people are, the better they know their rights and the more confidence they have to fight for them. Sometimes one has to do so. The education of the prisoner community is a considerable issue if awareness is to be achieved. Believe it or not, the greatest discrimination and bullying takes place among prisoner populations because of the culture. Part of the culture, irrespective of what wrong is done to a prisoner, is that incidents are not reported. One does not grass or rat, as it is known in the prisoner community. It is a major impediment to bringing about the equality and human rights that are essential. If the information and support are not available, the difficulties often cannot be dealt with. Therefore, there are many issues. The prisoner community is small by comparison with the population as a whole. The number of Travellers in the community is also very small but very significant. My experience is that members of the Traveller community find prison very difficult because of its confinement and structures. Those who are used to open space and the associated sense of freedom find the confinement of prison very difficult.