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Summary: The Children's Rights Alliance has given the Government an 'F' grade for its its continued detention of 16 and 17-year old boys in prison-like conditions in St Patrick's Institution.
[23 January 2012] - The Government has received an 'F' grade from the Children's Rights Alliance for its continued detention of 16 and 17-year old boys in what it describes as prison-like conditions in St Patrick's Institution. The Alliance published its 'Report Card', which it uses to hold the Government to account on its commitments to children. Ireland has previously been criticised by the United Nations Committee Against Torture and the Council of Europe's Human Rights Commissioner for continuing the practice of detaining 16- and 17-year-old boys in the prison environment which exists in St Patrick's Institution. The previous government pledged in 2008 to build a new National Children's Detention facility, which it said would be operational by 2011. However, the Government says there is no funding available to build the facility at the moment but it is looking at other options. The Alliance called on the Government to commit the capital funds required in 2012 to build the National Children's Detention Facility. The Irish Penal Reform Trust today said the importance of this issue was underscored by the Government's receipt of an F grade for its handling of the matter. It said the continued practice was a stain on Ireland's human rights record and should be ended addressed with urgency. The Government has again said it is committed to ending the practice of detaining 16- and 17-year-old boys in St Patrick's Institution, and has described the practice as "unacceptable". The Minister for Children and Youth Affairs Frances Fitzgerald has asked the Irish Youth Justice Service to reassess the projected cost of the proposed National Children's Detention Centre at Oberstown, North Dublin to bring it in line with current price levels and current economic realities. The facility was announced by the previous Government in 2008 and was supposed to be up and running last year, however the current Government does not have the available funding to build it at the moment. Speaking in the Dail in December 2011, Minister for Justice Alan Shatter said that it had not been possible to include the proposed Oberstown facility in a recent list of projects covered by the Government capital investment framework. However Minister Fitzgerald is in ongoing consultation with the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform Brendan Howlin about funding to construct the facility. She has also instructed the Irish Youth Justice Service to complete the design work and tender documentation during 2012. Further Information:
pdf: http://www.rte.ie/news/2012/0123/stpatricks.html