News & Press ReleasesNews & Press Releases
Ombudsman repeats call for extension to its remit to include prisons 21st July 2011
The Ombudsman, Emily O’Reilly, has repeated calls for an extension to the remit of her office to include prisons, naturalisation and immigration. Read more
Court Service Annual Report 2010 – Juvenile Justice Figures 14th July 2011
The Court Service Annual Report 2010 published today indicates that few juvenile offenders are receiving community service or community sentences. Read more
DIARY NOTICE: Prison Conditions as a Constitutional Issue (Seminar) 4th July 2011
On Thursday 21st July, 2011 the Irish Penal Reform Trust (IPRT) will hold a public seminar, 'Prison Conditions as a Constitutional Issue: Recent Experiences from the US and Ireland'. Read more
Latest prison figures 27th June 2011
There were 4,433 people in prison custody in Ireland on 22nd June 2011; this is an increase of 66% since 2000, when there were 2,919 men and women held in Irish prisons. Read more
UN: Independent Prisoner Complaints System is Essential to the Prevention of Torture and Ill-treatment 6th June 2011
The UN Committee Against Torture, issuing the concluding observations of its first examination of Ireland, has expressed “deep concern” at the level of overcrowding in the prison system and called for urgent action to end slopping out and to establish an independent system for investigating prisoner complaints. Read more
Suspected TB outbreak in Irish prisons 6th June 2011
Dozens of prisoners and prison officers at Cloverhill and Wheatfield prisons in Dublin and the Midlands prison in Portlaoise have been diagnosed with TB, reports Fiachra Ó Cionnaith in the 'Irish Examiner'. Read more
Media digest: Inspector of Prisons' Annual Report 2010 31st May 2011
digestFollowing the publication on Monday 30th May, 2011 of the Annual Report 2010 of the Office of the Inspector of Prisons, a number of media outlets highlighted some of his serious concerns. Read more
IPRT welcomes more robust enforcement role for Inspector of Prisons 30th May 2011
The Irish Penal Reform Trust (IPRT) has strongly welcomed the statement by the Inspector of Prisons that he is to take on a more robust enforcement role with regard to inadequacies in the prison system which is contained in his Annual Report 2010, published today Read more
LIVE broadcast: Ireland's First Periodic Review under UNCAT 26th May 2011
Ireland’s examination by the UN Committee against Torture took place on Mon 23 May Tues 24 May. Both sessions were broadcast live online. Read more
Rights Groups Tell UN of Ireland's "Failure" to Combat Inhuman and Degrading Treatment 20th May 2011
Top United Nations experts will today (Friday 20 May 2011) hear directly from Irish human rights groups concerned about the State’s track record in preventing inhuman and degrading treatment. Read more