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2025 KEYNOTE SPEAKERS
Prof. Mary Rogan | Human Rights and Dignity in Forensic Mental Health
The concept of human dignity has an obvious relevance for forensic mental health services. However, while the term has been extensively in research, policy, and evaluation, its meaning and content remain contested and uncertain. The European Court of Human Rights has examined the role of dignity in forensic mental health settings in a series of cases exploring, in particular, the appplication of Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights' prohibition on inhuman and degrading treatment. The circumstances in which this article has application requires further exploration and synthesis. This paper will examine how the European Court of Human Rights has analysed key issues concerning treatment and conditions in forensic mental health settings, along with an assessment of what dignity means in these environments. It will also explore emerging questions in the area of dignity and the application of Article 3 regarding involuntary detention and the perspective of the patient, and potential future directions in human rights protections in forensic mental health services.
.jpg) | Mary Rogan, PhD, is a Professor in Law and Fellow at the School of Law, Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland. She is the Principal Investigator of two projects funded by the European Research Council examining prison oversight and human rights in detention. Mary previously practised as barrister in Dublin, Ireland and is a member of Lincoln’s Inn, London, UK. She is a former Chairperson of the Irish Penal Reform Trust. Mary was the first woman to be President of the International Penal and Penitentiary Foundation and is currently its Secretary General. Professor Rogan is committed to using research to improve penal policy and the policymaking process. She chairs the Implementation and Oversight Group on reforms to penal policy, reporting to the Minister for Justice and Equality. She was appointed to the inaugural Research Advisory Group for the Department of Justice and Equality in July 2018. She sits on the Advisory Group to the Office of the Inspector of Prisons. She has also been a member of the Central Statistics Office's Expert Group on Crime Statistics. She is a former member of the Board of the Irish Association for the Social Integration of Offenders, the Victims' Rights Alliance, and is a former Chairperson of the Irish Penal Reform Trust. |