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.
27th January 2020
In this submission, IPRT outlines the progress made by Ireland on the 2017 Concluding Observations and further highlights a number of matters that might merit scrutiny during the next reporting cycle of the UN Committee against Torture.
5th July 2019
The European Court of Human Rights has published a factsheet on detention conditions and treatment of prisoners outlines findings of inhuman and/or degrading treatment of prisoners.
11th June 2019
The UN Working Group on the issue of discrimination against women in law and in practice has published its thematic report on women deprived of liberty for the 41st session of the Human Rights Council.
1st May 2019
After a referendum was passed in 2014 in California to recategorise some nonviolent offences as misdemeanours, rather than felonies, what have the effects been on the crime rate?
2nd April 2019
The Council of Europe has published 'SPACE I' Annual Penal Statistics: Prison Populations 2018 report.
25th February 2019
Standards for Children in The Youth Justice System was published by the Youth Justice Board and the Ministry of Justice in February 2019.
10th December 2018
The Prison Reform Trust has published the Bromley Briefings Prison Factfile for Autumn 2018.
4th December 2018
The Council of Europe has published two reports reflecting the trends in European prisons from 2005 to 2015, and the evolution of foreign offenders in prison and under probation from 2009 to 2015.
12th November 2018
Border Criminologies (University of Oxford) has published a briefing paper outlining the methodology used by HM Inspectorate of Prisons, coordinating body of the UK NPM.
1st November 2018
The Health and Social Care Committee has published a comprehensive report on health and care in prisons with a finding that the Government is failing in its duty of care to prisoners.
Respect for rights in the penal system with prison as a last resort.