Irish Penal Reform Trust challenges next Government on inhumane treatment

The Irish Penal Reform Trust (IPRT) has called on the next Government to commit to safeguarding against inhumane treatment in places of detention at a conference in Dublin.

Deirdre Malone, executive director of the IPRT, challenged all representatives engaged in Government negotiations ahead of the Prison Litigation Conference, co-hosted by the IPRT and the School of Law at Trinity College Dublin.

The IPRT wants a fully independent prisoner complaints mechanism, such as a Prisoner Ombudsman, and ratification of the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, which Ireland signed in 2007.

A new IPRT report launched at the conference today, Prison Litigation Network Project: National Report on Ireland, found low confidence in the operation of the current prison complaints mechanism.

It also found that there is no information available publicly on the numbers of complaints made by prisoners, the number of complaints upheld, and how such complaints are resolved.

A review of the prisoner complaints procedure announced by Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald last year has yet to be published.

Ms Malone said: “Currently, resolving prison issues through the Irish Courts is slow and costly, and the impact of prison litigation in bringing about systemic reform is difficult to measure.

“A fully functional independent complaints mechanism, such as an Ombudsman, which is both effective and trusted by prisoners and prison staff alike, would offer a speedier and more cost-effective method of resolving prisoner complaints.

“The Prison Officers Association, the McMorrow Commission, and the Director General of the Irish Prison Service have all identified the need for a Prisoner Ombudsman or equivalent.”

“IPRT’s research suggests low confidence in the operation of the current prison complaints mechanism. However, there is no information available publicly on the numbers of complaints made by prisoners, the number of complaints upheld, and how such complaints are resolved.

“The Inspector of Prisons’ review of the prisoner complaints procedure must be published expeditiously and the Minister for Justice must act swiftly on any findings and recommendations therein.”

On ratification of the OPCAT, Ms Malone added: “Ireland’s ratification of the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture, which it signed in 2007, is now long overdue.

“We are calling on the next Government to commit clearly to the creation of a National Preventative Mechanism (NPM) and the ratification by Ireland of the OPCAT as a safeguard against the potential inhumane treatment of people in places of detention in Ireland. Quite simply, the more open and transparent that places of detention are, the lesser the risk for abuse.”