International
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.
UK: The Bromley Briefings Prison Factfile Autumn 2018
10th December 2018
The Prison Reform Trust has published the Bromley Briefings Prison Factfile for Autumn 2018.
Council of Europe: Ten-year trends in European prisons
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.
Border Criminologies: HMIP Detention Monitoring Methodology
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.
UK: Health and Social Care Committee publish report on health and care in prisons
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.
UK: Sentencers and sentenced: exploring knowledge, agency and sentencing women to prison
31st October 2018
The APPG on Women in the Penal System has published a report on its inquiry into the sentencing of women.
UK: Safety in Custody Statistics and Deaths of Offenders in the Community
25th October 2018
The Ministry of Justice has published reports on Safety in Custody Statistics and Deaths of Offenders in the Community for England and Wales.
UK: Social care in prisons in England and Wales
16th October 2018
Her Majesty’s Inspector of Prisons (HMIP) and the Care Quality Commission (UK) have published a thematic report on Social Care in Prisons in England and Wales.
UK: Updates on the implementation of ‘Farmer Review’ recommendations
12th October 2018
An update on the implementation of recommendations from the ‘Farmer Review’ (2017) has been published on the NICCO website.
UK: PPO Annual Report 2017-2018
11th October 2018
The Prisons and Probation Ombudsman (England and Wales) has released its Annual Report 2017-2018

UK: Sentencing Young Adults
20th September 2018
The Howard League for Penal Reform has published research on the need for the development of formal sentencing principles for young adults.