Speaker: John Lonergan
John Lonergan.
John Lonergan has been Governor of Mountjoy Prison since 1984. He is a native
of Bansha, Co. Tipperary. Governor Lonergan joined the Irish Prison Service
in 1968. He has also served as Governor of the top security prison in Portlaoise
from November 1988 until May 1992. He is married with two grown-up daughters.
His philosophy is that change, personal or otherwise, cannot be enforced on
people, believing that real and meaningful change comes about through consent
and agreement. He is convinced that the task for all of us is, first of all,
to find the humanity in another human being and then to nurture it. The more
a person becomes aware of their own humanity the more likely they are to treat
others with respect. He argues that there is a direct link between crime and
social and economic deprivation and believes that the biggest challenge facing
us today is not the economy but how we are going to create a just, inclusive
and cohesive society based on the core values of justice, equality fairness
and compassion. Governor Lonergan has spoken at numerous seminars and is a
frequent guest on Irish television and radio.
Questions set by John Lonergan and audience answers at Conference 13th February 2010