Irish Penal Reform Trust

Health in Prison

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. 

IPRT Submission to Oireachtas Special Committee on COVID-19 Response

9th September 2020

IPRT was invited by the Oireachtas Special Committee on COVID-19 Response to make a submission on how the State's legislative framework contributed to the response to COVID-19 and how the legislative framework might be improved upon.

'Self-harm in Irish Prisons 2018' report published

24th August 2020

The second report from the Irish Prison Service Self-Harm Assessment and Data Analysis (SADA) Project, has been published.

Failure to transfer terminally-ill prisoner urgently to hospital may have amounted to inhuman and degrading treatment – IPRT

14th August 2020

MEDIA ADVISORY: IPRT is gravely concerned at the delay experienced by a terminally-ill prisoner, who subsequently died, in accessing urgent emergency medical care. The failure to bring the man, who was in severe pain, urgently from Midlands Prison to hospital in June 2018 is described as a “major failing” by the Inspector of Prisons in a report (published Wednesday 12th August 2020).

Welcome opportunity for renewed and sustained reform – IPRT congratulates Ministers on appointments

29th June 2020

The Irish Penal Reform Trust (IPRT) has today congratulated Minister Helen McEntee TD on her appointment as Minister for Justice. IPRT is looking forward to working with the Minister on the implementation of evidence-led justice commitments in the Programme for Government.

‘Our Shared Future’ – Draft Programme for Government 2020+

15th June 2020

IPRT strongly welcomes many of the proposals in the draft Programme for Government. In particular, we welcome that the document reflects all of the five recommendations IPRT campaigned on in advance of the 2020 General Election.

UNODC, WHO, UNAIDS and OHCHR issue joint statement on COVID-19 in prisons and other closed settings

13th May 2020

UN agencies have issued a joint statement on COVID-19 in closed settings to draw attention to the increased vulnerability of those deprived of their liberty. The human rights-led statement focuses on strategies which are crucial to protecting those in places of detention from COVID-19.

Irish prisons and COVID-19: Proposed Measures

30th April 2020

In this submission, IPRT sets out a number of proposed measures to be taken in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, in order to minimise its impact on the whole prison community.

Accelerated action must be taken to reduce prisoner numbers in order to uphold minimum human rights and keep people safe – IPRT

15th April 2020

ADVISORY: Efforts to reduce the prison population must be ramped up in order to uphold minimum human rights standards of those in custody and protect the wider prison community from COVID-19.

IPRT and COVID-19 in Irish prisons

7th April 2020

We're working hard, alongside other stakeholders, to minimise the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on the prison community. In this post, we detail some of our actions and engagements from recent weeks.

Expert Report: COVID-19 and prisons in England and Wales

3rd April 2020

This Expert Report was written by Professor Richard Coker and commissioned by the Howard League for Penal Reform and the Prison Reform Trust. It sets out the most up-to-date evidence concerning the nature, spread and transmission of COVID-19 as it applies to prisons.

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