13th April 2025
On 13 April 2025, commenting in the Irish Independent, Saoirse Brady, Executive Director of the Irish Penal Reform Trust, shed light on the real struggles families face when trying to stay connected with someone in prison. From impossible visiting hours, long travel times, and issues with booking systems.
These barriers are more than just frustrating. They hurt relationships, parents, and children alike. Better support for family connections can play a part in someone's rehabilitation.
Copy of the article:
Thousands of prisoners do not have visits from family or friends over the course of a year, new figures show.
Data released under the Freedom of Information Act shows that an average of nearly 2,900 prisoners had no standard visits every year between 2019 and 2024.
The figures were provided by the Irish Prison Service (IPS), who said a recent study suggests prisoners who receive family visits are 39pc less likely to reoffend.
Saoirse Brady, executive director of the Irish Penal Reform Trust (IPRT), said families often face barriers when trying to maintain contact with incarcerated loved ones.
“For many families, prison visiting times are not family friendly, often taking place in the middle of a weekday, meaning they have to make a difficult choice between seeing their loved one for a short visit and taking time off work or missing school on a regular basis.
“Families, including those with small children, often have to travel for hours and take multiple forms of transport to see their family member for half-an-hour or less,” Ms Brady added.
She also highlighted ongoing issues with booking systems and technology glitches.
“Phones in some prisons are rarely answered, and online booking systems are often inaccessible, making it almost impossible to book a visit, plan ahead and actually see your family member face-to-face,” she said.
Ms Brady said video calls, introduced during the pandemic, can be beneficial for some families living far from prisons but can also be affected by technical issues.
“That means the virtual visit won’t go ahead causing disappointment not only for the person in prison but also their partner and children sitting waiting at home.
“We’ve heard of relationships breaking down because of that disconnect and the frustration felt by many parents because of how difficult it is to keep in touch and know what’s going on in their children’s lives,” she said.
The data shows 2,946 prisoners received no “normal visits” in 2024 — a marginal increase from 2,899 in 2023, and largely in line with consistently high figures over the past five years.
Normal visits are classed as those from relatives or friends, not a solicitor or other professionals associated with the courts.
In 2019, before the Covid-19 pandemic, 2,940 inmates had no visits, while the number dropped slightly to 2,817 in 2020, before rising again to 3,147 in 2021 and 2,761 in 2022.
At present, Irish prisoners are entitled to receive one weekly family visit in person, or one virtual visit, lasting no more than 30 minutes, with three adult visitors permitted on a physical visit.
While there is no limit on the number of children permitted, it has to be within reason.
Figures show the percentage of prisoners without a normal visit ranged from 41pc in 2019 to 60pc in 2021 at the height of the pandemic, to 44pc in 2023.
In 2023, there were 6,495 people committed to the country’s jails, and 2,899 didn’t receive a normal visit.
The IPS said it is “acutely aware of the need for prisoners to maintain contact with their families and friends”, describing such contact as a vital support in rehabilitation and re-entry into the community.
An IPS spokesperson said video visits introduced during the pandemic had proven “very successful”, with over 12,000 video calls conducted in 2025 so far. “Prisoners can avail of one 20-minute video visit per week to nominated family and friends. The video visits are monitored by staff,” said a spokesperson.
The service says it is continuing to roll out in-cell phones, allowing prisoners to make approved calls from their cells — alleviating queues and conflicts over shared phones — and also allowing prisoners to communicate at more family friendly times.
Respect for rights in the penal system with prison as a last resort.