RT Article T1 Barriers to engagement: scrutiny gaps in Irish prisons JF Prison service journal VO 265 SP 35 OP 43 A1 Valk, Sophie van der A1 Rogan, Mary A2 Rogan, Mary LA English YR 2023 UL https://krimdok.uni-tuebingen.de/Record/1916548962 AB Prisons in Ireland and across the world are subject to a growing range of scrutiny bodies. However, even as such bodies strive to develop best practices there remain inherent challenges related to how best to generate meaningful knowledge about the prison experience. Through analysis of interviews with prisoners in Ireland, this paper explores the barriers to engagement which prisoners face when choosing (or not) to interact with prison oversight mechanisms. These barriers include low expectations of prisons and the ability of prisons to change, low awareness and trust in oversight bodies and their role in protecting prisoners’ rights, as well as concerns about the consequences of speaking up and what is worth speaking up about. This final barrier termed wasted agency, can place a limit on when and what prisoners are willing to speak to bodies about and what is considered worth taking a risk for. Recognizing the role these barriers play in who and what is referred to prison oversight bodies can shine a light on scrutiny gaps which may arise and differences in communication between oversight bodies and those they are intended to protect. K1 Strafvollzug K1 Kommunikation K1 Kriminologie K1 Empirische Forschung K1 Irland