Round-up: IPS Annual Report 2016

17th May 2017

The Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality, Frances Fitzgerald, T.D., launched the following reports and strategy on Monday 15 May 2017 at an event in Mountjoy Prison: Probation Service Annual Report 2016; Irish Prison Service Annual Report 2016; and the Joint Strategy for Development of Social Enterprise in the Irish Criminal Justice Sector.

On publication of the reports and strategy, IPRT welcomed the significant reduction in prison committals in 2016, and the clear statement by Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality, Frances Fitzgerald T.D. that prison should be a sanction of last resort. 

There was strong media coverage of the launch.

Read more:

• IPRT: IPS Annual Report 2016: IPRT welcomes reduction in prison committals
• The Irish Mirror: ‘Number jailed at its lowest in seven years but 441 prisoners are on the run’
• Irish Legal News: 'Prison Committals Fall by 12% in 2016'
• The Irish Independent: 'Prisoner numbers down as more get community service instead of jail'
• The Irish Examiner: '50% fall in jailing of fine defaulters'
• The Belfast Telegraph: 'Further decreases predicted after lowest number of jailings in seven years'
• The Irish Independent: 'Further decreases predicted after lowest number of jailings in seven years'

Listen back:

• RTE Radio One: Listen back to IPRT's Acting Executive Director Fíona Ní Chinnéide's interview with Mary Wilson on Drivetime here (Listen back 15th May 2017, 'Irish Penal Reform Trust').
• Kildare FM: IPRT's Acting Executive Director Fíona Ní Chinnéide was interviewed by Shane Beatty on Kildare Today (no podcast available).
• CRC FM: IPRT's Acting Executive Director Fíona Ní Chinnéide was interviewed by Aidan Crowley on Castlebar Community Radio's The Grapevine (No podcast available).

For more on the reports released on 15th May 2017:

• Department of Justice and Equality: ‘Tánaiste welcomes publication of the Probation Service and Irish Prison Service 2016 Annual Reports’
• Probation Service: Probation Service Annual Report 2016
• Irish Prison Service: Irish Prison Service Annual Report 2016
• Joint Strategy for Development of Social Enterprise in the Irish Criminal Justice Sector: ‘A New Way Forward’ Social Enterprise Strategy 2017-2019