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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

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

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

Barrister Molly Joyce has joined the Irish Penal Reform Trust (IPRT) as legal and public affairs manager. Ms Joyce previously worked as a practising barrister in London, specialising in the areas of public and police law.

A review of Ireland's spent convictions regime, which is likely to lead to the broadening of the range of convictions that are considered spent, has begun with the launch of a government consultation. The consultation, launched by Justice Minister Helen McEntee yesterday, invites views on issues suc

Some prisoners are still forced to "slop out" despite repeated government promises to the end the practice. According to the latest figures released by Justice Minister Helen McEntee, 51 inmates – around one per cent of the total Irish prison population – are still slopping out.

Successful efforts to keep COVID-19 out of Irish prisons came at a "significant cost to the mental health and wellbeing of the people subject to special measures", a new report has found. The Office of the Inspector of Prisons (OIP), in conjunction with legal academics at Maynooth University, has pu

Physical prison visits will resume on a phased basis next month, nearly four months after their suspension during the COVID-19 crisis, the Irish Prison Service has announced. A new system of video visits was introduced in lieu of physical prison visits following their suspension on 27 March 2020.

Overcrowding in Irish prisons will reach "unsustainable" levels if the courts continue to hand down short-term prison sentences instead of community alternatives, penal reform campaigners have said. The Irish Penal Reform Trust (IPRT) has called for a review of legislation designed to increase the u

A bail supervision scheme which offers an alternative to remand detention for young people charged with criminal offences has been extended to courts in Cork and Limerick. Children's Minister Dr Katherine Zappone has signed a contract with Extern for the continuation and expansion of the Bail S

The next government has been urged to prioritise the establishment of a Penal Policy Consultative Council following the publication of new research on reoffending. The Department of Justice's commitment to evidence-based policy-making "could be best demonstrated" through pursuing the move, first rec

Plans to extend youth supports in the justice system to young adults aged up to 24 have been welcomed by penal reform campaigners. David Stanton, the minister with responsibility for youth justice, last week published his draft strategy for youth justice for the six-year period from 2020 to 2026.

Prisoner numbers in Ireland should be brought down faster through measures including presumption of bail, increased use of non-custodial sanctions and early releases in order to protect prisoners' rights, the Irish Penal Reform Trust (IPRT) has said. The penal reform group made the remarks in respon

Ireland has been "ahead of the curve" on reducing prisoner numbers during the coronavirus pandemic but must go further, penal reform campaigners have warned. Speaking to Irish Legal News, Fíona Ní Chinnéide, executive director of the Irish Penal Reform Trust (IPRT), welcomed the