IPRT believes that responsibility for the provision of healthcare should be transferred from the IPS to the HSE. In addition to this, IPRT believes that those with mental illness should be diverted away from the criminal justice system and should be treated within a community setting, where possible.
This section includes posts on health in prison, including mental health and drug policy.
UK Government has published its first cross-government suicide prevention plan with the objective of reducing deaths from suicide through the use of new technology and data. Read more
The Oireachtas Joint Committee on Future of Mental Health Care has published its final report, with a core recommendation of increasing the number of acute beds from 22 to 50 per 100,000 over 3 years. Read more
The first report on episodes of self-harm recorded in Irish Prisons has been published. Read more
IPRT Executive Director Deirdre Malone speaks to Irish Legal News in response to an Irish Times article reporting on conditions for mentally ill prisoners. Read more
In our appearance before the Committee, IPRT made a number of recommendations, including investment and use of prevention and early intervention supports. Read more
'Mental Illness in Irish Prisoners: Psychiatric Morbidity in Sentenced, Remanded and Newly Committed Prisoners' (Kennedy et al., 2005) was the first systematic and representative survey of mental health in the Irish Prison population. Read more
An article in today's Irish Times on an innovative new Hepatitis C screening programme at Mountjoy Prison, whose success could be replicated elsewhere. Read more
The “Reducing Harm, Supporting Recovery – a health led response to drug and alcohol use in Ireland 2017-2025” strategy sets out the Government’s response to addressing the harm caused by substance misuse in society over the next eight years. Read more
IPRT welcomes the Review of Prison Healthcare cited by Tánaiste Frances Fitzgerald on the publication of the report 'Healthcare in Irish Prisons' on 21st February 2017. Read more
Article by Deborah H. Drake and David Scott of The Open University, which states that for those living in extreme environments, such as prison, it becomes difficult to draw a line between mental well-being and diagnosable mental illnesses. Read more
