Newstalk Global Village: Wheatfield Place of Detention

3rd January 2017

Newstalk's Global Village broadcast two special shows from Wheatfield Place of Detention - on Christmas Eve 24th December 2016, and New Year’s Eve on 31st December 2016.

The Christmas Eve special details life in prison, with a specific focus on suicide prevention and visitation conditions. Presenter Dil Wickremasinghe interviews a number of people involved including Governor Patrick Kavanagh, to show what life in prison is like.

Caroline McCole the founder and CEO of ‘Suicide or Survive’ and Paula Lawlor, the Operational Director for ‘Suicide or Survive’ discuss suicide prevention in prison. Two of the prisoners mentored under their program discuss their experiences with the wellness workshops and programs available to prisoners to improve mental health.

Teresa Clark of St Vincent De Paul and manager of the visitor centre and Carol Ryan, childcare and project worker, discuss prison visitation. Visiting a loved one in prison can be traumatic and making visitations positive is discussed in this section.

To go to the Christmas Eve Podcast, go to the Global Village podcast page here.

The second show was broadcast on New Year’s Eve 31st December 2016. This show details life in prison, with a specific focus on prisoner health, education and independent living units.

Dr. Graham Betts-Symonds from the Red Cross, discusses prison health along with two prisoners who describe their experiences. Brenda Fitzpatrick head teacher in Wheatfield Place of Detention, along with three of her students, discusses education in prison, including goals, courses and future aspirations. Finally, the program ends with a discussion on independent living units with Prison Governor Patrick Kavanagh. A prisoner in one such unit describes what the unit means to him.

To go to the New Year’s Eve Podcast, go to the Global Village podcast page here.