NCJ Number
175797
Journal
International Criminal Justice Review Volume: 8 (1998) Issue: Dated: Pages: 33-60
Date Published
1998
Length
28 pages
Annotation
A comparative study gathered information from South Africa, Palestine and Israel, Italy, Spain, the Irish Republic, and Northern Ireland on the release and reintegration of politically motivated prisoners to inform the ongoing debate in Northern Ireland regarding prisoner release.
Abstract
The research was prompted by the controversy regarding this issue in Northern Ireland, given the Irish Republican Army (IRA) and Loyalist cease-fires of 1994 and the IRA cease-fire in 1997. The research questionnaire was designed around central themes relevant to discussions on the issue in Northern Ireland. These themes included the nature of detention of politically motivated prisoners, the question of whether they were formally recognized as such, the nature of the release or amnesty process, the political context of any releases, and actions taken toward prisoner reintegration. Information was collected by means of collaborations with local nongovernmental or academic institutions in the questionnaire mailing and other information collection, as well as through interviews with government officials, former prisoners, victims organizations, human rights activists, and others. Findings indicated several theoretical and practical issues concerning prisoner release, including which prisoners might qualify for early release, the social and political preconditions for early release, the impact of such a process on public faith in the rule of law, the impact on the integrity of the sentencing process, and the risk of further violence. Findings also indicated that the choice of any release modality should be preceded by the government's clear commitment that prisoners will be released as part of the process of conflict resolution. Postscript about the Good Friday Agreement of April 1998, footnotes, list of persons interviewed, and 112 references