Prisons

The first prison inspection reports published since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic have warned of a "sense of complacency" in the prison service, with increased restrictions at risk of becoming "the new norm". The Office of the Inspector of Prisons yesterday published four thematic inspection re

The initial findings of a government review of prison and penal policy will be published this autumn. Hildegarde Naughton, the minister of state for civil and criminal justice, said work is "well advanced" on the review as she launched the 2020 annual report of the Irish Prison Service (IPS) at Cast

A new report by the Irish Penal Reform Trust (IPRT) has highlighted several gaps in policy and practice where the needs of children with a parent in prison are being overlooked. The report, Piecing it Together: Supporting Children and Families with a Family Member in Prison in Ireland, is being laun

The Northern Ireland Prison Service (NIPS) has announced that contact will be allowed between parents and children under 11 during prison visits from 19 July. Director general of NIPS, Ronnie Armour, said: "The re-introduction of contact between parents and children under 11 during visits is an impo

The Irish Prison Service (IPS) has announced plans to resume physical visits to prisons. The recommendation is to resume physical visits to prisons on a phased prison-by-prison basis with visits resuming seven days a week after prisoners have been fully vaccinated.

Prison authorities have been urged to ensure that security screening is conducted in a way that respects "the individual dignity of prisoners, prison staff and visitors to prison" following a complaint from a solicitor. Security processes in the Irish Prison Service (IPS) have come under greater scr

A solicitor has made a formal complaint after she was told to remove her bra before she was allowed to visit a client in Cloverhill Prison. A written complaint sent to the Irish Prison Service (IPS) outlines the "degrading incident" which took place on 11 June 2020, the Irish Examiner reports.

Northern Ireland's only remaining Victorian-era prison has reopened to visitors after a long period of closure during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Plans to establish a new joint "care and justice campus" for children and young people will go ahead after a consultation found broad support from the sector. More than 70 individuals and organisations responded to the consultation on proposals for a care and justice campus incorporating the existin

Ireland's prisons inspector has raised concerns about the delay in reforming the prisoner complaints system after warning it is "unfit for purpose" for the third successive year. Prisons inspector Patricia Gilheaney, writing in her annual report for 2020, said: "An effective complaints system is an

At least 19 prisoners and a number of staff at Mountjoy Prison have contracted Covid-19 in the biggest outbreak in the Irish prison system to date. The Irish Prison Service (IPS) yesterday confirmed that it had identified 19 cases among prisoners, though the number could rise as tests are ongoing.

The Council of Europe’s Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) today issued a set of minimum requirements for conditions of detention in European prisons, concerned by the negative effects of pre-existing austerity measures in certain states, which could be exacerbated by the Covid-19 p

The Northern Ireland Prison Service (NIPS) has announced the appointment of David Savage as the new governor of Maghaberry Prison. Mr Savage, who has served as deputy governor since September 2019, formally took up the post yesterday.

In-person prison visits are set to re-commence in Northern Ireland from Tuesday 4 May, though virtual visits remain the "preferred option". There will still be restrictions, including a limit of one visitor at a time and a requirement to maintain social distancing.

Self-harm incidents in Irish prisons are declining but there are worrying increases in rates of self-harm among women and people on remand, new figures show. The Irish Prison Service (IPS) yesterday published its third annual report on self-harm in Irish prisons, which covers the year 2019 – s