Oberstown Children Detention Campus
 | |
  Location in County Dublin | |
| Coordinates | 53°33′19″N 6°11′28″W / 53.555300°N 6.191041°W |
|---|---|
| Status | Operational |
| Security class | children detention campus |
| Capacity | 54[1] |
| Population | 39 (as of 2020[2]) |
| Opened | 1983, 1991, 2016 |
| Managed by | Board of Management of Oberstown |
| Director | Pat Bergin |
| Street address | Old Coach Road, Oberstown |
| City | Lusk |
| County | Fingal |
| Postal code | K45 AY66 |
| Country | Republic of Ireland |
| Website | oberstown |
Oberstown Children Detention Campus (/ˈoʊbərzˌtaʊn/; Irish: Campas Coinneála Leanaí Bhaile an Oibricigh) is a youth detention centre located in the north part of County Dublin (Fingal), Ireland.[3] It houses both male and female offenders.[4][5]
History
[edit]Trinity House Reformatory School, a high-security institution, was opened in 1983. Oberstown Boys School and Oberstown Girls School opened in 1991. The three schools merged in 2016.[6][7]
In 2016, a riot led to a major fire and the deployment of armed gardaí.[8][9]
In 2017, two offenders escaped after attacking a staff member with a crowbar. They were quickly recaptured.[10]
In May 2020, "Boy A", one of the murderers of Ana Kriegel, was assaulted by other residents.[11]
Facilities
[edit]The deputy director describes it as "not a prison" and that residents are not prisoners, but "young people in conflict with the law."[8] Their model of care is built around "care, education, health, offending behaviour, and preparation for leaving."[12] There are two separate schools, Oberstown Boys School and Oberstown Girls School, operating under the patronage of Dublin & Dún Laoghaire Education and Training Board.[13][14]
About one-fifth of residents are Irish Travellers, while 71% have substance misuse issues.[15]
After release, residents return to their families or are placed in the care of the Child and Family Agency. Those serving long sentences are transferred to adult prisons at the age of 18+1⁄2.[8]
Notable residents
[edit]Due to laws protecting juvenile offenders, residents can in general not be publicly named.
- "Boy A" and "Boy B", teenage murderers of Ana Kriégel
- The murderer of Lorcan O'Reilly[16]
- Stephen Egan, murderer of Gary Douch[17][18][19]
See also
[edit]Notes
[edit]- ^ Meagher, John (21 May 2017). "Young Offenders: Inside Ireland's teenage borstal". Irish Independent.
Oberstown has the capacity for 48 boys and six girls, although females haven't been sent here in years. The new school can handle up to 90 pupils - a provision, Bergin says, for the future.
- ^ "Oberstown reported 171 'notifiable incidents' last year". Breaking News. 19 May 2020.
- ^ Healy, Deirdre; Hamilton, Claire; Daly, Yvonne; Butler, Michelle (14 December 2015). The Routledge Handbook of Irish Criminology. Routledge. ISBN 9781317698173 – via Google Books.
- ^ "Dublin University Law Journal". Trinity College. 21 June 2003 – via Google Books.
- ^ "Inside Oberstown Children Detention Campus: 'Working one-on-one, you can make a difference in a child's life'". TheJournal.ie.
- ^ "Annual Reports 2012-2016" (PDF). Oberstown Children Detention Campus. p. 7.
- ^ Hosford, Paul. "Difficult days in youth detention facilities are a fact of life". TheJournal.ie.
- ^ a b c Gallagher, Conor. "'It's not a prison': Inside Oberstown child detention campus". The Irish Times.
- ^ Arnold, Barry (1 November 2016). "Two inmates in three hour standoff at Oberstown detention centre". irishmirror.
- ^ Lyne, Laura (30 May 2017). "Manhunt underway after two young offenders escape from Irish detention centre". irishmirror.
- ^ Leslie, Neil (6 June 2020). "CCTV showing jail room attack on Ana Kriegel's killer Boy A obtained by Gardai". dublinlive.
- ^ "Model of Care". oberstown.com.
- ^ Kilkelly, Ursula (21 June 2006). Youth justice in Ireland: tough lives, rough justice. Irish Academic Press. ISBN 9780716528364 – via Google Books.
- ^ "'Breakdown in trust' reported at detention centre's school for young offenders". independent.
- ^ Gallagher, Conor. "Young Travellers make up a fifth of detainees in Oberstown". The Irish Times.
- ^ Breen, Stephen (16 May 2019). Fat Freddie: A gangster's life – the bloody career of Freddie Thompson. Penguin UK. ISBN 9780241986677 – via Google Books.
- ^ "Report of the Commission of Investigation into the Death of Gary Douch | Volume One | Executive Summary & Recommendations" (PDF). Department of Justice. p. 5.
- ^ "Report of the Commission of Investigation into the Death of Gary Douch | Volume Two | Final Report" (PDF). Department of Justice. pp. 50–51.
- ^ "Gary Douch death report makes for depressing reading". www.irishexaminer.com. 3 May 2014.