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IPRT Newsletter - October 2025
Dear members and supporters,
I am pleased to present a special edition of the Irish Penal Reform Trust (IPRT) online newsletter. We have recently navigated a period of significant change, bidding farewell to some valued colleagues while warmly welcoming new members to our team. We are delighted that the Traveller Justice Initiative (TJI) has become part of IPRT, and we warmly welcome Anne Costello, its Coordinator, into the fold. Anne initially joined IPRT on secondment from St Stephen’s Green Trust in September 2024, and formally became a member of the team in April 2025.
In this edition, you will find updates from our 30th anniversary celebrations, highlights from recently published reports, and an overview of our latest activities and events.
Additionally, this issue includes information on our recent advocacy meetings, submissions, media engagements, and other developments within our organisation.
Is mise le meas,
Saoirse Brady
Executive Director
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Celebrating 30 years of IPRT
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IPRT marked its 30 year anniversary on Thursday 10 April 2025, with a celebratory event held at the Trinity Business School, Dublin 2. The Portal Event Space welcomed a near-capacity audience of 150 attendees.
The programme featured two panels of past and present IPRT leaders, chaired by Noeline Blackwell, reflecting on the organisation’s history, impact, and ongoing work. Highlights included speeches from Saoirse Brady, IPRT Executive Director, and Minister for Justice, Jim O’Callaghan, as well as a video message from Michael O’Flaherty, current Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights and former IPRT Chair.
The event was a fitting celebration of IPRT’s achievements, capturing memories and reflections from founding members, former Chairs, and past Executive Directors, while underscoring that IPRT’s work continues to drive penal reform today.
A highlights video of the event can be viewed here.
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Traveller Justice Initiative 10 year event
On 9 April 2025, the Irish Penal Reform Trust (IPRT) was proud to join St Stephen’s Green Trust (SSGT) in celebrating 10 years of the Traveller Justice Initiative (TJI), a milestone event held at the Wood Quay Venue. Over 70 representatives from Traveller organisations and civil society came together to reflect on a decade of collaboration and progress in tackling the disproportionate representation of Travellers in the criminal justice system, and the underlying causes.
Established by SSGT in 2014, TJI has worked to amplify Traveller voices and influence policy and practice towards a more equitable justice system. The event highlighted the power of long-term, independent funding, and community-led leadership in driving meaningful change. IPRT was pleased to acknowledge SSGT’s vision and sustained commitment, and to celebrate TJI Coordinator Anne Costello’s exceptional leadership, as she moves to a new role within IPRT.
Read "Stories of Change," a publication to mark 10 years of TJI, here.
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Panel Discussion on the Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) Report
Following the publication of the Council of Europe’s Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) report on Ireland in July 2025, on 24 September, IPRT brought together experts to shine a light on critical issues in our prison system.
We thank our speakers for sharing their insights: Mark Kelly, Chief Inspector of Prisons; Mary Rogan, Professor in Law at Trinity College Dublin; and Rebecca Keatinge, Head of Compliance and Monitoring at the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission.
The panel highlighted the importance of strong, independent oversight at national level and the ratification of the Optional Protocol to the Convention Against Torture (OPCAT) as an essential tool to ensure this can happen. The need for a proper complaints system to protect prisoners from reprisals, inadequate mental healthcare in prison and overcrowding were all discussed as notable issues that urgently need to be addressed.
You can read IPRT’s response to the CPT report here and listen to an interview with
Niamh McCormack on RTÉ Drivetime here.
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IPRT Response: General Scheme: Criminal Law and Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2025:
On 30 September 2025, IPRT was represented before the Joint Committee on Justice, Home Affairs and Migration by Executive Director Saoirse Brady and Legal Policy and Public Affairs Manager Niamh McCormack.
We welcomed the opportunity to contribute to this important national discussion on the pre-legislative scrutiny of the General Scheme: Criminal Law and Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2025.
In our June 2025 submission on the General Scheme of the Bill, we highlighted strong opposition to the proposed introduction of incapacitant sprays in prisons (Head 20), on human rights grounds and due to the lack of evidence that they reduce violence. We also expressed support for the expansion of community service orders (Head 25) as an effective alternative to short prison sentences.
Read IPRT’s June 2025 submission on the Bill.
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Stakeholder Engagement
In September, IPRT’s Executive Director, Saoirse Brady, and Legal Policy and Public Affairs Manager, Niamh McCormack, met with Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration, Jim O’Callaghan TD, to discuss key penal reform priorities.
The Minister recognised the importance of community-based sanctions for less serious and non-violent offences and plans to expand judicial options through upcoming legislation. IPRT also raised issues from the recent CPT report, including overcrowding, human rights standards, and the need for stronger accountability and transparency across the prison system.
Other significant stakeholder engagement over the last while:
Similar engagements were also held with Deputy Gary Gannon (Social Democrats), Deputy Matt Carthy (Sinn Féin), and Deputy Ivana Bacik (Labour Party Leader).
Other highlights include media appearances following the launch of the Irish Prison Service Annual Report, with interviews on national media featuring Saoirse, and regional radio with Niamh.
Alongside other key stakeholders, Niamh recently visited Hope Street, Southampton. Hope Street is an alternative to detention for women, providing safe and secure accommodation with access to social services and rehabilitation. The visit was an opportunity to see alternatives to detention in action, particularly for vulnerable women experiencing addiction, poverty and domestic violence.
IPRT has continued our campaign for the ratification of the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Prevention of Torture (OPCAT). This quarter, our Policy and Research Coordinator Tom Lord presented to key stakeholders on the implementation and operational aspects of OPCAT.
In June, Niamh delivered IPRT’s statement to the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) in Geneva, ahead of Ireland’s examination by the Committee.
IPRT took part as part of the National Women’s Council (NWC) delegation, alongside other civil society organisations, raising key concerns including:
- Record overcrowding in women’s prisons
- The rising number of pregnant women and babies in custody
- The State’s continued failure to publish investigation reports on the Dóchas Centre
Read our full statement here and watch here.
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Budget2026
Budget 2026 Round-Up
In our pre-Budget submission, we called for mental health and addiction supports, reduced pre-trial detention, alternatives to prison, stronger accountability, and reintegration supports. Our submission focused on the impact of overcrowding and how expanding prison spaces is not a solution — investment in humane, sustainable alternatives is essential.
While Budget 2026 provided a welcome €6.7m increase for the Probation Service, supporting community-based sanctions and alternatives to imprisonment, IPRT recognises that this is a mere drop in the ocean in terms of the wider funding landscape when we see almost ten times that allocated to the Irish Prison Service in capital expenditure. Until we see a rebalancing of the scales, we will remain in the midst of a prison overcrowding crisis.
IPRT will continue to advocate for community sanctions, fit-for-purpose accommodation, and mental health supports, ensuring people in prison are treated humanely and effective alternatives are prioritised.
Read our response to Budget 2026 here.
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IPRT Annual Report
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IPRT held our Annual General Meeting on 24 September and launched our 2024 Annual Report on another action-packed year. |
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Changes to the IPRT Team
The last number of months has seen us welcome several new team members to IPRT as well as saying a fond farewell to others.
In April, Anne Costello, Coordinator of the TJI, officially joined IPRT. Anne brings extensive experience working with Traveller communities and key organisations including Clondalkin Travellers Development Group, Galway Traveller Movement, and the Community Platform.
Barrister Niamh McCormack, IPRT's Legal Policy and Public Affairs Manager also joined the team in April. She has previously held roles in the Irish Council for Civil Liberties, Seanad Éireann, and various human rights organisations.
August saw two new team members join. Oisín O’Neill started as our new Governance and Administration Officer with a background in law and a strong commitment to social and environmental justice while Siobhán Tracey joined as Communications and Campaigns Lead, bringing experience in human rights and access to justice from previous roles with Mercy Law Resource Centre and Concern Worldwide Korea.
You can read more in their bios on our staff page on the IPRT website.
While we were delighted to have new team members join us, at the end of April we also bade farewell to Michelle Byrne, our Communications and Campaigns Coordinator who first joined us in 2022, elevating our media profile and social media presence to ensure IPRT is a go-to voice for comment on the criminal justice system.
We were also sorry to say farewell to Tara Hanlon, Governance and Administration Officer who has moved on to take up opportunities abroad. Tara joined us at the beginning of 2024 and during her time with us organised a number of key conferences and events including our 30 year anniversary while also supporting the team with the many administrative tasks necessary to run a small organisation.
More recently, we said goodbye to Ashling Tobin, our Children and Families Project Coordinator. During her time at IPRT, Ashling worked to support children and families affected by imprisonment, advocating for their rights and raising awareness of their often-overlooked challenges. A notable achievement earlier this year was her key role in supporting the launch of Keep Up Hope in partnership with Kid’s Own Publishing, the first Irish book written by children with parents in prison. We will miss her dedication and passion and wish her every success in her next role.
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Exciting News - PIPS Report Launch Coming Soon
We are thrilled to announce that the seventh edition of our flagship report, Progress in the Penal System (PIPS) Report will be launching in the first week of December (exact date to be confirmed). The 2024 report is highly anticipated, as it marks the first edition since 2022, providing a comprehensive reflection on the last few years of monitoring the Irish penal system.
This edition highlights the progress achieved, areas where change has been limited and issues that remain challenging to assess due to gaps in available data. We look forward to sharing these insights with you soon. Stay tuned for the confirmed launch date.
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Add your voice - become a Friend or Member
IPRT relies on a network of committed supporters who share our vision for change. By becoming a Friend or Member of IPRT, you add your voice to our campaign for a more humane and equitable penal system.
To find out more about supporting our work, please visit our Friends or Membership pages.
IPRT relies on donations from charitable trusts, individual donations and membership subscriptions to cover operational costs. We have also received funding from donor-advised funds and project funds managed by the Community Foundation for Ireland Porticus UK, the Katharine Howard Foundation and the Rowan Trust and project funding from the Access to Justice Grants Scheme of the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission.
IPRT receives core funding from:
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IPRT phoneline
We understand the importance of having a phone line available for people who may want to contact us for a host of different reasons. If you or someone you know would like to call us, please see the details below.
- Phone: (01) 874 1400
- Times: Mondays 9.30am to 12.30pm and Thursdays 2pm to 4pm.
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Copyright © 2025 Irish Penal Reform Trust, All rights reserved.
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