From Punishment to Prevention: Poverty, Inequality and Pathways into the Irish Criminal Justice System
24th March 2026
This report, externally commissioned by the Irish Penal Reform Trust (IPRT), examines how poverty, inequality and community-level deprivation influence engagement with the criminal justice system in Ireland. The research was led by researcher Clare O’Connor, working with socially engaged artist Aaron Sunderland Carey and peer researcher Robert Cullen.
Drawing on mixed-methods research, including participatory research with people with lived experience, the report provides an updated evidence base on the intersection of socioeconomic disadvantage and contact with the criminal justice system in Ireland.
The report also explores justice reinvestment approaches, outlines relevant human rights obligations, and identifies evidence-led alternatives to imprisonment-focused responses, emphasising prevention and social investment.
