The death has taken place of Paul O’Mahony, one of Ireland’s foremost criminologists and a founding member of the Irish Penal Reform Trust (IPRT). Paul O’Mahony made a unique contribution to the study of crime and justice in Ireland. An advocate of prison reform and social justice, he was the author of a landmark study of prisoners in Ireland – Mountjoy Prisoners: A Sociological and Criminological Profile. He also wrote and edited a number of other books which all clearly articulated the need for a more humane response to those processed through the criminal justice system:
Crime and Punishment in Ireland (1993)
Criminal Chaos. Seven Crises in Irish Criminal Justice (1996)
Prison Policy in Ireland. Criminal Justice versus Social Justice (2000)
Criminal Justice in Ireland (2002)
The Irish War on Drugs : The Seductive Folly of Prohibition (2008)
His work is foundational and will continue to be widely read. We express our sympathies to his family and friends at this time.
23.9.10. Dublin, Ireland. ‘Shifting Focus: From Criminal Justice to Social Justice’. Conf. in Gresham Hotel organised by Irish Penal Reform Trust, Barnardos & Irish Association for Young People in Care. ©Photo by Derek Speirs
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