Dermot Kinlen
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Dermot Patrick Kinlen | |
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| Born | 24-April-1930 Dublin, Ireland |
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| Died | 18-July-2007 County Kerry |
| Nationality | Irish |
| Residence | Dublin and County Kerry |
| Alma mater | University College Dublin and King's Inns |
| Occupation | Barrister, Judge and Inspector of Prisons |
Kinlen is best known for being the first inspector of prisons in Ireland. In his reports he was very critical of the way the prison service was being run and in particular of the lack of any focus on rehabilitation. [1] [2]
He had previously been a High Court Judge, having been nominated by Dick Spring of the Labour Party, in spite of his links to Fianna Fail.
He was involved in the setting up of diplomatic relations between The People's Republic of China and Ireland. From 1977 onwards he was a frequent visitor to China. [3]
University of Limerick awarded him an honorary Doctorate of Law. [4]
In 1997, Pope John Paul II bestowed the Order of St. Gregory on Kinlen.
Kinlen's maternal grand-father, Thomas O'Donnell, had been an MP for West Kerry for 18 years, at the beginning of the 20th Century.
