Prisons

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

Prison schools are set to reopen next week under the easing of Covid-19 restrictions in prisons. According to the Teachers Union of Ireland (TUI), teaching staff can now access education centres to undertake preparatory work ahead of the reopening of prison schools from 19 April 2021.

A new government taskforce has been established to look at the mental health and addiction needs of prisoners both during and after their detention. Former minister Kathleen Lynch has been appointed as the independent chair of the high level taskforce, which will include representatives from a wide

Members of the House of Commons Justice Committee are “shocked and appalled” by the treatment of children at a privately run detention centre in Northamptonshire, they said in a report published today. The committee has called on the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) to consider taking back

The £108 million redevelopment of Magilligan Prison has been delayed by the Covid-19 pandemic but progress has still been made, Justice Minister Naomi Long has said. Magilligan is a medium- to low-security facility near Limavady which holds more than 450 male prisoners with six years or less t

Irish prison law expert Dr Mary Rogan has been appointed as president of the International Penal and Penitentiary Foundation (IPPF). An associate professor in law at Trinity College Dublin and a qualified barrister, she is one of Ireland's leading prisons experts, having worked with government bodie

The Irish Penal Reform Trust (IPRT) has called for a further investigation into a Facebook group for prison officers which allegedly includes racist and anti-Traveller material. The Irish Times reported last week that the Irish Prison Service (IPS) has again asked the social media giant to remove th

An online seminar on the Prison Rules is set to restart the Irish Penal Reform Trust's (IPRT) prison law seminar series for 2021. Co-hosted with the Irish Criminal Bar Association (ICBA), The Prison Rules: Current Impact and Opportunities for Reform will take place this Thursday 25 February at 4pm v

A long-delayed review into the care of vulnerable people in Northern Ireland's prisons is reportedly on track to be completed this summer. The review was first announced in 2016 after a series of deaths in custody and was subsequently passed in December 2018 to the Regulation and Quality Improvement

The positive changes rapidly made in Ireland's prison service during the Covid-19 pandemic are at risk of being reversed, the Irish Penal Reform Trust (IPRT) has warned. The penal reform body today published its fourth annual review of standards in Irish prisons, which welcomes the reduction of pris

Plans to allow Ireland to ratify the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture (OPCAT) by 2023 form part of the prison inspectorate's first-ever strategic plan. The Office of the Inspector of Prisons yesterday published a three-year strategic plan for the period up to and including 2023, w