Clonmel Borstal
Encyclopedia
.
St. Patrick's Borstal Institution, Clonmel was established in 1906 as a place of detention for young male offenders aged between 16 and 21. Located in the centre of Clonmel
, County Tipperary
, Ireland
, it was the only Borstal
instituted in Ireland and was established on the site of the historic town gaol, the former adult prisoners having been transferred to other jails.
, which had been initiated by Arthur Moore
, a local Nationalist and Catholic M.P., the Borstal was promoted by the Unionist and Protestant M.P. Richard Bagwell
. Bagwell, a commissioner for education, became the president of the Borstal Association of Ireland, which, among other duties, sought to find employment for those who had completed their sentence.
The institution was modelled on an innovative approach to young offender reform then being developed at a similar facility at the town of Borstal in England
. On the transfer of the adult prisoners to other institutions, the Clonmel Borstal acquired all of the old prison grounds.
A District Court
could not impose a borstal sentence directly but could only recommend to a Circuit Court
that a detainee might be considered for borstal. If the Circuit Court judge agreed, he could order the confinement of the youth at the borstal from 2 to 4 years. Unlike Industrial Schools
, the borstal was under the authority of a Governor
and a staff of warders.
The average number at Clonmel at any given time was about 50. Only about half of these had been sent directly by a court. The others were transferred by Ministerial order from the ordinary prisons. The regime in Clonmel allowed a level of trust to develop between the staff and detainees. At the discretion of the Governor, the boys could be allowed out into to town to find work.
, the prisoners were transferred to the Workhouse
at Clogheen
, while the Borstal buildings at Clonmel were occupied by Irish Free State
military forces. While the exact date of the transfer in 1922 is disputed, Reidy gives it as most probably 3 October. The inmates at Clogheen Workhouse were in turn transferred to other Unions
. One week later, 17 of the boys escaped and on the night of 4 November, the town was suddenly abandoned by the Free State forces and occupied the following day by Republicans. Four days later, the Republicans gave notice that the facility was to be vacated immediately as they intended to set it on fire. The 81 inmates and the staff were hurriedly moved to the sanctuary of the nearby Fever Hospital. Petrol was used to ensure that the main buildings were totally destroyed despite the torrential rain. The boys were marched to the nearby town of Cahir
where they were accommodated for a few days before removal to Kilkenny. The institution remained in Kilkenny
until 1924 when it returned to the original accommodation at Clonmel.
occupied its buildings and detainees were transferred temporarily to Cork prison
.
, Dublin.
The Criminal Justice Act (1960), introduced by Minister for Justice Oscar Traynor
, brought sweeping changes to the system of detention regarding young adults, and abolished the term 'Borstal' from the working lexicon of criminology
and penal reform in Ireland.
St. Patrick's Borstal Institution, Clonmel was established in 1906 as a place of detention for young male offenders aged between 16 and 21. Located in the centre of Clonmel
Clonmel
Clonmel is the county town of South Tipperary in Ireland. It is the largest town in the county. While the borough had a population of 15,482 in 2006, another 17,008 people were in the rural hinterland. The town is noted in Irish history for its resistance to the Cromwellian army which sacked both...
, County Tipperary
County Tipperary
County Tipperary is a county of Ireland. It is located in the province of Munster and is named after the town of Tipperary. The area of the county does not have a single local authority; local government is split between two authorities. In North Tipperary, part of the Mid-West Region, local...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, it was the only Borstal
Borstal
A borstal was a type of youth prison in the United Kingdom, run by the Prison Service and intended to reform seriously delinquent young people. The word is sometimes used loosely to apply to other kinds of youth institution or reformatory, such as Approved Schools and Detention Centres. The court...
instituted in Ireland and was established on the site of the historic town gaol, the former adult prisoners having been transferred to other jails.
Foundation
Clonmel Borstal was established following the recommendations of the 1895 Report of the Departmental Committee on Prisons, more generally known as the Gladstone Committee. In contrast to nearby St. Joseph's Industrial School, FerryhouseFerryhouse
St Joseph’s Industrial School, generally referred to as Ferryhouse, is located four kilometres east of Clonmel, in South Tipperary, Ireland. The original building was erected in 1884 by Count Arthur Moore, a wealthy local Catholic as a reformatory for boys...
, which had been initiated by Arthur Moore
Arthur John Moore
Count Arthur John Moore was a wealthy Irish Catholic and nationalist politician.-Background and education:Born in Liverpool, Moore was the son of Charles Moore who had served as Member of Parliament for the Tipperary constituency from 1865 to 1869...
, a local Nationalist and Catholic M.P., the Borstal was promoted by the Unionist and Protestant M.P. Richard Bagwell
Richard Bagwell
Richard Bagwell was a noted historian of the Stuart and Tudor periods in Ireland, and a political commentator with strong Unionist convictions.He was the eldest son of John Bagwell, M.P. for Clonmel from 1857 to 1874...
. Bagwell, a commissioner for education, became the president of the Borstal Association of Ireland, which, among other duties, sought to find employment for those who had completed their sentence.
The institution was modelled on an innovative approach to young offender reform then being developed at a similar facility at the town of Borstal in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. On the transfer of the adult prisoners to other institutions, the Clonmel Borstal acquired all of the old prison grounds.
Borstal system in Clonmel
The Prevention of Crime Act 1908 envisaged that youths aged between 16 and 21 who were charged with serious offences could undergo a programme of discipline intended to rehabilitate them, segregated from the influence of adult prisoners. The Criminal Justice Administration Act 1914 extended the borstal programme to those charged with less serious offences.A District Court
District Court (Ireland)
The District Court is the main court of summary jurisdiction in Ireland. It has responsibility for hearing minor criminal matters, small civil claims, liquor licensing, and certain family law applications...
could not impose a borstal sentence directly but could only recommend to a Circuit Court
Circuit Court (Ireland)
The Circuit Court is an intermediate level court of local and limited jurisdiction in the Republic of Ireland which hears both civil and criminal matters. On the criminal side the Circuit Court hears criminal matters tried on indictment with a judge and jury, except for certain serious crimes...
that a detainee might be considered for borstal. If the Circuit Court judge agreed, he could order the confinement of the youth at the borstal from 2 to 4 years. Unlike Industrial Schools
Industrial Schools in Ireland
Industrial Schools, were established in Ireland under the Industrial Schools Act of 1868 to care for "neglected, orphaned and abandoned children". By 1884, there were 5,049 children in such institutions throughout the country....
, the borstal was under the authority of a Governor
Prison Governor
In the UK, a Prison Governor is responsible for the management and security of a prison, jail, remand centre and young offenders' institution. In India and Pakistan, the head of a District, Central, Women or special Prison/Jail is called Superintendent of Jail, Superintendent Jail, Senior...
and a staff of warders.
The average number at Clonmel at any given time was about 50. Only about half of these had been sent directly by a court. The others were transferred by Ministerial order from the ordinary prisons. The regime in Clonmel allowed a level of trust to develop between the staff and detainees. At the discretion of the Governor, the boys could be allowed out into to town to find work.
Clogheen Workhouse
For a brief period during the Irish Civil WarIrish Civil War
The Irish Civil War was a conflict that accompanied the establishment of the Irish Free State as an entity independent from the United Kingdom within the British Empire....
, the prisoners were transferred to the Workhouse
Workhouse
In England and Wales a workhouse, colloquially known as a spike, was a place where those unable to support themselves were offered accommodation and employment...
at Clogheen
Clogheen, County Tipperary
Clogheen is a village in South Tipperary, Ireland. The latest census of 2006 recorded the population of Clogheen at 509.-Location:It lies in the Galtee-Vee Valley with the Galtee Mountains to the north and the Knockmealdowns in close proximity to the south. The River Tar which is a tributary of...
, while the Borstal buildings at Clonmel were occupied by Irish Free State
Irish Free State
The Irish Free State was the state established as a Dominion on 6 December 1922 under the Anglo-Irish Treaty, signed by the British government and Irish representatives exactly twelve months beforehand...
military forces. While the exact date of the transfer in 1922 is disputed, Reidy gives it as most probably 3 October. The inmates at Clogheen Workhouse were in turn transferred to other Unions
Poor Law Union
A Poor Law Union was a unit used for local government in the United Kingdom from the 19th century. The administration of the Poor Law was the responsibility of parishes, which varied wildly in their size, populations, financial resources, rateable values and requirements...
. One week later, 17 of the boys escaped and on the night of 4 November, the town was suddenly abandoned by the Free State forces and occupied the following day by Republicans. Four days later, the Republicans gave notice that the facility was to be vacated immediately as they intended to set it on fire. The 81 inmates and the staff were hurriedly moved to the sanctuary of the nearby Fever Hospital. Petrol was used to ensure that the main buildings were totally destroyed despite the torrential rain. The boys were marched to the nearby town of Cahir
Cahir
Cahir is a town in South Tipperary in Ireland. The town is best known for its castle and the Swiss Cottage. It is in the barony of Iffa and Offa West.-Location and access:...
where they were accommodated for a few days before removal to Kilkenny. The institution remained in Kilkenny
Kilkenny
Kilkenny is a city and is the county town of the eponymous County Kilkenny in Ireland. It is situated on both banks of the River Nore in the province of Leinster, in the south-east of Ireland...
until 1924 when it returned to the original accommodation at Clonmel.
Cork
Again, in 1940, during the Second World War the Irish ArmyIrish Defence Forces
The armed forces of Ireland, known as the Defence Forces encompass the Army, Naval Service, Air Corps and Reserve Defence Force.The current Supreme Commander of the Irish Defence forces is His Excellency Michael D Higgins in his role as President of Ireland...
occupied its buildings and detainees were transferred temporarily to Cork prison
Cork Prison
Cork Prison, Rathmore Road, Cork City, County Cork is an Irish penal institution. It is a closed, medium security prison for males over 17 years of age...
.
Dublin
The Irish Borstal continued to operate until 1956, when all remaining occupants were transferred to St. Patrick's InstitutionSt. Patrick's Institution
St. Patrick's Institution, North Circular Road, Dublin 7, is an Irish penal facility for 16- to 21-year-old males. It has a capacity of 217 beds and had an average inmate population of 221 in 2009. It is a closed, medium security prison.-History:...
, Dublin.
End of the Borstal system in Ireland
This Borstal system came to an end in 1956 when St. Patrick's Institution was transferred to a disused section of the Women's Prison at Mountjoy Jail. The system of 'reformation' through a programme lasting years was dropped and instead the sentencing regime more closely mirrored that for the broader prison population. In 1958, of the 256 youths sent to St. Patrick's at its new location in the grounds of Mountjoy, over 100 served sentences of from one to three months. The practice of allowing the detainees to leave the grounds for work in the locality was also ended.The Criminal Justice Act (1960), introduced by Minister for Justice Oscar Traynor
Oscar Traynor
Oscar Traynor was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician and revolutionary. He served in a number of Cabinet positions, most notably as the country's longest-serving Minister for Defence....
, brought sweeping changes to the system of detention regarding young adults, and abolished the term 'Borstal' from the working lexicon of criminology
Criminology
Criminology is the scientific study of the nature, extent, causes, and control of criminal behavior in both the individual and in society...
and penal reform in Ireland.