Award for investigation into the human rights of children of people in prison

Photo, from left to right: Alice Chambers, Nicky Ryan, and Órla Ryan. Photographer: Kyran O’Brien/DCU via Journal.ie

An investigation into the human rights of children of people in prison by Noteworthy has won the prestigious Mary Raftery Prize. The Prize is awarded annually to an individual or small team responsible for social affairs journalism produced on the island of Ireland which combined the rigorous analysis and commitment to social justice that characterised Mary Raftery’s journalism.

Calling Time, a Noteworthy investigation that revealed how the human rights of children of prisoners were not being fulfilled, was written by Alice Chambers and Maria Delaney and won the 2023 Prize. Read more about the award in the Journal.ie.

IPRT was happy to support and contribute to the investigation which revealed how the human rights of children of people in prison were not being fulfilled, particularly around accessing prison visits. The investigation shone a light on a previously relatively unknown area and led to positive changes being made in improving the experience for children of people in prison visiting their parents.

Read the full investigation, which comprises three parts:

• The Explainer x Noteworthy: Are kids being locked out from jailed parents?
• ‘Children don’t deserve this’: Visiting an imprisoned parent is ‘traumatising’
• ‘A long way from normal’: Families say visits to prison still restricted post-pandemic