Mr Justice Paul Carney, a judge of the High Court, yesterday presented 12 prisoners in Mountjoy with legal certificates after they completed a foundation course entitled "Introduction to the Legal System". The prisoners were the first graduates of the course run by the Public Access to Law group.
PAL is a voluntary group of over 60 barristers and solicitors. Its role is to make the workings of the legal system more accessible to the public, particularly to those from under-privileged backgrounds. The Mountjoy course involved study of the Constitution, the difference between solicitors and barristers, as well as the role of law in Irish society and citizens' rights and obligations.
The governor of Mountjoy, Mr John Lonergan, said that the course had been well received and he hoped that it would form part of the prison's regular programme in the future.
