Prisons

The Irish Prison Service (IPS) should continue to have responsibility for prison healthcare services, a report has recommended. Justice minister Simon Harris and health minister Stephen Donnelly today published the first comprehensive health assessment undertaken for the Irish Prison Service.

The new B Division at Limerick Prison has been officially opened by justice minister Simon Harris.

Koulla Yiasouma is to be appointed by ministers to chair the board of management of the Oberstown Children Detention Campus. Ms Yiasouma, an established leader in the area of children's rights and youth justice, will succeed Professor Ursula Kilkelly, whose term as chair comes to an end this month.

It is entirely unacceptable that people with serious mental health problems are detained in prisons, the director of the Prison Service has said. Caron McCaffrey also admitted that overcrowding was a serious problem, but added there has been a notable increase in the imprisonment of people guilty of

Plans to create 400 new prison spaces over the next five years, accommodating at least 620 additional prisoners, have been set out by the justice minister. Simon Harris announced plans to increase capacity in existing prisons across the State as he addressed the Prison Officers' Association (POA) co

A report has recommended changes to legislation and practices underpinning the work of prison visiting committees (PVCs). The 42-page report published today follows a public and stakeholder consultation and fulfils a government commitment to review the existing functions, powers, appointment procedu

Ireland’s statutory prisons watchdog, the Office of the Inspectorate of Prisons (OIP), has recently completed an unannounced full inspection of Cork Prison. The inspection, which took place from 27 March to 5 April 2023, forms part of the Inspectorate’s new programme of regular unannounc

Northern Ireland’s High Court has determined that a prisoner’s request to attend external counselling services during the last 12 months of his sentence was not irrationally or discriminatorily denied, even if the scheme in place wasn’t “the best way to provide for resettleme

Irish prison law expert Dr Mary Rogan has won a highly competitive €150,000 grant to continue her work on human rights and prison oversight. The European Research Council (ERC) Proof of Concept grant is a spin-off award from Dr Rogan's earlier €1.5 million ERC-funded project on the inspect

A prisoner has launched judicial review proceedings over new X-ray body scanners recently introduced in Northern Ireland prisons. The Northern Ireland Prison Service announced in March that it had introduced new body scanners to tackle the trafficking of illegal contraband, including drugs.

Dr Ian Marder and Dr Joe Garrihy look at the new prisons and detention bill and assess its potential impact on prison oversight. March saw the publication of the Oireachtas joint committee on justice’s report on the draft Inspection of Places of Detention Bill. This bill has significant implic

The number of right-wing extremists in UK prisons has more than doubled in four years. Fifty-nine prisoners were classed as holding “extreme right-wing” views in 2022, up from 52 in the previous year.

There are close to 300 children in the State whose mothers are imprisoned, with devastating effects on the children and their families, according to a new report. The Irish Penal Reform Trust (IPRT) estimates that 278 children are impacted by maternal imprisonment and recommends that the courts take

New X-ray body scanners are set to be introduced in Northern Ireland prisons to tackle the trafficking of illegal contraband including drugs. The scanners are similar to those which have already been introduced in England, Wales and Scotland, the Northern Ireland Prison Service said.

Researchers from Maynooth University School of Law and Criminology are set to study the barriers to employment for individuals with previous convictions. Dr Joe Garrihy and Dr Ciara Bracken-Roche will work with the Irish Penal Reform Trust (IPRT) on the "Working With Conviction" project, which will