Evening Herald: UN report wants slopping-out to end

7th June 2011

The Evening Herald has reported on the recommendations made by the United Nations Committee against Torture (UNCAT) who published their final observations on Ireland yesterday. 

The article, by Colm Kelpie, reports that the practice of slopping out needs to be eliminated as soon as possible and that until this is made available in each cell, prisoners should be released to use toilet facilities. 

IPRT's Liam Herrick is quoted in the article:

"The expert UN committee has made clear that an independent system for investigating complaints by prisoners is the most important protection against potential mistreatment of persons in detention.

"The committee has given an unambiguous direction to the Government to establish an independent and effective complaints body, such as a prison ombudsman, and to ensure that prisoners are protected against any intimidation or reprisals as a consequence of the complaints."

The Evening Herald also mentions the problem of inter-prisoner violence, raised by the Committee, and that prison officers should receive training on how to tackle violence in prisons.

Read more:

• Read the full article here.
• IPRT's press release on the UNCAT recommendations can be found here.