InternationalInternational
The work of IPRT is led by a number of standards developed by international bodies, organisations and courts in relation to imprisonment and wider issues of the State’s penal policy. In particular, our work is based on the commitment to implement in Ireland a human rights-based approach to penal policy.
With this in mind, IPRT’s research, policy and awareness-raising campaigns are developed to support and monitor the implementation in the context of penal policy in Ireland of the United Nations and Council of Europe standards.
The IPRT is also committed to the promotion of best practice examples that have proved effective in other jurisdictions. To this end, we aim to provide a comprehensive library of good practices that can be accessed and used by practitioners, academics, prisoners, and anyone else interested in penal reform and penal policy. The Library is updated on a regular basis to take into account most recent developments in this area.
U.S: State Prison Population Declines for First Time in 38 Years 20th April 2010
For the first time in nearly 40 years, the number of state prisoners in the United States has declined, according to survey data compiled by the Public Safety Performance Project of the Pew Center on the States, in partnership with the Association of State Correctional Administrators Read more
UK: Perceptions of Anti-Social Behaviour 9th March 2010
Home Office research highlights the subjective nature of perceptions of anti-social behaviour. Read more
Council of Europe: European Prison Reform 19th February 2010
A website resource of the The Council of Europe, committed to improving the treatment of those imprisoned or otherwise deprived of their liberty. Read more
Northern Ireland: inspection of treatment of vulnerable prisoners 31st December 2009 
A report on the inspection of the treatment of vulnerable prisoners in Northern Ireland, to assess the progress of the Northern Ireland Prison Service (NIPS) in implementing the Northern Ireland Prisoner Ombudsman’s recommendations since January 2009. Read more
"Do Better Do Less" - report from the Commission on English Prisons Today 2nd July 2009 
A landmark report into the prison system has been published today. The report of the Commission on English Prisons Today takes a radical look at the purposes and limits of a penal system and how it should sit alongside other social policies. Read more
International Standards 11th May 2009
IPRT’s activities support and monitor the implementation in the context of penal policy in Ireland of the United Nations and Council of Europe standards. Read more
"Scotland's Choice" - report of the Scottish Prisons Commission 1st July 2008
The report of the Scottish Prisons Commission examines the use of imprisonment in Scottish society and makes recommendations for a radical overhaul of current policies. Read more
Prison Privatization in the United Kingdom 15th May 2003
This article provides a brief overview of how the UK has progressed from implementing one experimental prison management contract to having Europe’s most privatized criminal justice system. Read more