Ms Anne Costello:

We have raised the issue but there has not been a commitment. What we need is from the top down. Prisons are very hierarchical institutions and take instructions from the top down. Ms Sweeney and I did some recent training and there is a level of hostility and an ingrained prejudice against Travellers. There is a sense that all your problems are caused because you are a Traveller. That is how some prison officers see it. If you stop being a Traveller, you could be okay. There is a need for training in that regard. It is like campaigns about drink-driving or the use of seatbelts. Some people will never understand the value of seatbelts but with the promise of three penalty points, they will wear their seatbelts. Perhaps we will not change their attitudes but we can change their behaviour. In a hierarchical organisation, if the director general and governors say certain behaviours will not be tolerated, they will change.