Saoirse Brady speaks to News at One in an interview given as part of coverage of Irish Prisons Annual Report 2024 Saoilaunch
4th September 2025
In the interview, Saoirse highlighted that:
- Prison must be the sanction of last resort;
- Current overcrowding levels and the use of mattresses on floors are an unacceptable breach of human dignity;
- With 77% of sentences 12 months or less, prison appears to be overused for less serious offences.
- At nearly €100,000 per prison place per year, this approach comes at enormous financial and human cost.
Saoirse emphasised that we cannot build our way out of this crisis. Instead, Ireland must rebalance investment into:
Related items:
- People in Ireland from poorer backgrounds are at a higher risk of going to jail, says report - Liberal.ie
- From Punishment to Prevention: Poverty, Inequality and Pathways into the Irish Criminal Justice System
- Irish Penal Reform Trust Links Poverty to Criminal Justice System - RTÉ News
- Irish Penal Reform Trust Discusses Alternatives to Imprisonment - Newstalk
- IPRT's Niamh McCormack is interviewed for Kildare Today on KFM
