Life after jail: ‘Government does not care about prisoner rehabilitation’

The paper highlighted that access to housing for inmates leaving prison 'is constrained by the lack of an overall statutory right to housing and the endemic shortage of housing in Ireland'.

Irish society and politicians do not care or believe in the rehabilitation of prisoners, according to a paper co-authored by a Corkman who ended up homeless after serving a sentence for heroin possession.

The paper — The Soul-Destroying Release From Prison Into The Void — was co-authored by former prisoner Paul O’Rourke with UCC academics Katharina Swirak and Ute Krenzer.

It has been published in the Journal of Prisoners on Prisons, published by the University of Ottawa Press in Canada, just five months after Mr O’Rourke died suddenly at the age of 42.

He was studying for a youth work degree at University College Cork and aimed to work with people who have come out of the justice system into homelessness.

He was also a peer researcher on UCC’s Clean Slate Cork research project.

In the paper, the Coachford native wrote that he was released from prison in February 2021 after serving a 45-month sentence for possession of heroin.

He said he had been assured he would “be put in a place of my own or in a sober living environment”.

However, he said: 

Just before I was released, I was told that I had to stay in the St Vincent’s Hostel, one of the largest male homeless hostels in the country, located in Cork City.

"To me, a recovering addict, this was soul-destroying! My chances of relapsing and re-offending suddenly increased.”

He said that, while in Portlaoise prison, he had engaged with education and planned to continue with education on release. However, he felt that in an environment such as a busy hostel, he would not be able to work on his studies, recalling that on his first night out of prison he encountered a man in the hostel who was “lying on the floor, high on drugs”.

He added: “That was my first night and for the next 10 months while I was there, it got a lot worse. It was clear to me on my first night out of prison that our government and society really do not care or believe in rehabilitation! If they do, it is a funny setup they have.”

He continued: “When I was released from prison, I was 39 years old with a desire to change my path in life.

“I got accepted into a College of Further Education for a course in social studies, but I had to delay my start date since a hostel environment did not provide a calm study space.

"I was aware at the time that I had to study harder than others and needed a high level of concentration, which the living arrangements did not supply. 

Paul O’Rourke

The paper highlighted that access to housing for inmates leaving prison “is constrained by the lack of an overall statutory right to housing and the endemic shortage of housing in Ireland”.

It continued: “Transitional housing opportunities in Ireland are scarce to non-existent.

“So far, it is only available on a pilot basis and persons leaving prison are in strong competition with other homeless persons for access to transitional housing.”

It said that the Housing First National Implementation Plan 2022-2026, which “commits to shifting from a ‘treatment-first’ approach, which expects individuals to engage in substance abuse and addiction treatment in order to be declared ‘ready’ for housing to a ‘housing-led’ approach at first sight.”

However, the three co-authors said: “Despite these good intentions, it remains to be seen whether they are effectively resourced and will make a difference to persons upon their release from prison.”