Irish travellers and the criminal justice systems across the island of Ireland

• Main Author: Drummond, Anthony
• Published: University of Ulster 2007
• Subjects: 364
• Online Access: http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.491168

This study is influenced by Foucault's (1980) philosophy of the technologies of power, aiming to discipline, punish and subjugate certain groups within society via dividing practices. As Irish Travellers' perceptions of, and experiences with, criminal justice and its agencies across the island of Ireland are examined, this work emphasises the ways in which in many cases they remain divided from fully participating in 21 st Century sedentary society, unlike the majority of their settled counterparts. Until completion of this work, little was known about the situation of Travellers with criminal justice across the island of Ireland. Consequently, the major contribution that this research makes tonomadology is its investigation of the ways in which Travellers are divided by policies which are discordant between states across the island of Ireland. The ways in which certain sections of the media and many members of the public can also be implicated in the division ofTravellers within sedentary society are also underscored. Largely, the method of investigation was qualitative in nature, involving semi-structured interviews. The conceptual framework of this thesis was underpinned by investigating the concept of sedentarism, being 'that system ofideas and practices which serves to normalise and reproduce sedentary modes of existence' (McVeigh, 1997: 9). The research was also influenced by the concept that crime can be socially constructed, begging a need to explore 'the active and intentional incitement of fear and hatred of nomads' (McVeigh, 1997: 9) alleged to be intrinsic to sedentarism. Principally, the argument outlined throughout this study is that like any other ethnic/racial groups, Irish Travellers should be able to integrate whilst maintaining specific ethnic boundaries if they so choose. However, this research makes clear that with regards to any notion of integrating in the manner just intimated, Irish Travellers face an invidious dichotomy with regards to their socia-legal positions which, due to adherence to human rights principles in Northern Ireland, appear to be stronger there than is the case in the Republic of Ireland.