The Law Society’s Human Rights and Equality Committee announced the winners of the Human Rights Student Competition 2023 during an award ceremony in Blackhall Place recently.

The winning entry came from Ruairí Ó Conchúir, Conor Ó Floinn, and Oisín Ó Síocháin, who are second-year BCL (Law and Irish) students from University College Cork.

Their submission, entitled ‘Parole in Ireland – a Balance of Rights’, analysed the foundation of the parole system, its development, and the advent of the new parole system in 2021.

It considered the effectiveness of this system in respecting the rights of prisoners and the rule of law, along with the viewpoints and rights of victims.

The students were awarded €500 in prize money for their winning entry.

Competing rights

Dr Shane McCarthy (former Chair of the Human Rights & Equality Committee and member of the judging panel) stated that: “The sensitive manner in which this submission focused attention on this important area of law did not prevent fundamental issues in this area of human-rights law being considered robustly.

“The issues raised – including the manner in which fundamental competing rights of various stakeholders are balanced – will undoubtedly provide inspiration to others to continue research in this vital and evolving area.”

Dr McCarthy previously served as a member of the Interim Parole Board, and is a current member of the statutory Parole Board.

He recently published Probation and Parole in Ireland: Law and Practice, a book that describes and explains the underpinnings and workings of two key parts of the Irish penal system: probation and parole.

Re-opening of competition

The competition invited all students of law to submit a video identifying an important human-rights issue within Irish society, and provide a discussion on the effectiveness of the existing legal framework in protecting that particular right.

The committee will announce the re-opening of the competition in a number of months, and encourages all law students to participate.