The report was issued by the Campaign for the Care of Deprived Children (CARE). Loughan House, the proposed prison, is part of a prison for youth aged 16 and over and located in a remote area over 100 miles from Dublin. The prison would be the first European children's prison in modern times; its staff would be recrutied in the same way as all prison officers, with courts selecting the children to be committed. Announced by the Government in 1977, the planned prison has drawn opposition from both prison officers and professional groups working with children. Statements supporting the prison by the Minister of Justice contain both misrepresentations and half-truths. A children's prison is wrong in principle, destructive of family life, costly, and wasteful. Moreover, it is neither the best alternative available nor part of a strategy by which the Irish State can care for its children. Imprisoning young boys will damage them and Irish society, distract attention from grievous social problems, retard the development of child care, and engender bitterness between social groups. Statements from groups and individuals opposing the prison, photocopies of newspaper articles, and a protest declaration to be completed by the reader and mailed to the Minister of Justice are included.