Laurence McKeown took part in the 1981 Hunger Strike. He was arrested in 1976 and received a life sentence. Following his imprisonment the only photographs made of Laurence were made for official purposes by the prison authorities. Visiting families were banned from taking photographs.
This photograph was taken in 1982 shortly after the hunger strike with a hidden camera. The film was smuggled out of the prison and developed. In later years the Prison Authorities facilitated the taking of photographs of prisoners by prison guards at the prisoners’ request.