Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Thursday, 26 September 2024

Committee on Key Issues affecting the Traveller Community

Travellers in Prison: Discussion

10:30 am

Ms Ann Marie Sweeney:

A lot of Traveller women who go to prison have more than one or two kids. A six-minute phone call does not cut it. I had six kids when I went to prison. Each day, I had to have a phone call to each child. I would not get to talk to one child for a whole other week. It should be extended. It is important that you have that time with each child and not just cut them off and start rushing them after six minutes because you know the phone call will end. It is not nice. That could do with being changed.