IPRT Statement on the Publication of the Staines Report on the Efficacy of Bail Laws in Ireland
28th November 2025
The Irish Penal Reform Trust (IPRT) welcomes the publication of the Staines Report on the Efficacy of Bail Laws in Ireland. In August this year, IPRT made a submission setting out the context within which the bail system operate, specifically the conditions people in remand custody are subject to, the rates of addiction and psychotic disorders amongst the remand population and the need for proper supports and services in the community to avoid the use of prison unless it is absolutely necessary.
IPRT particularly welcomes the recommendation that an adult bail supervision scheme should be implemented and the proposed introduction of positive bail conditions, including attending counselling, addiction or employment services. These progressive reforms would enable measures to be taken that would support someone in a cycle of addiction and reoffending to break that cycle and rebuild their lives.
Given that many people who are remanded to custody experience homelessness, poverty and deprivation, there is a serious question in terms of affordability of cash bail, particularly for women. IPRT welcomes the recommendation that further discussion should take place regarding the manner in which cash bail is used as a condition of bail and whether it should be abolished. In our submission, IPRT flagged instances of people in prison being unable to pay amounts set at €100 or less.
On the issue of Garda powers in relation to bail procedures, IPRT cautions against any reforms that would increase the number of people in remand custody without proper safeguards in place to ensure that prison is used as a last resort.
Finally, IPRT agrees with the report’s recommendation that the collection, storage and use of data surrounding bail procedures must be reformed as a matter of urgency. Accurate data is an essential element of a modern justice system, and the difficulty in data collection highlighted by the report demonstrates how issues fall through the cracks where proper systems are not in place.
Read IPRT's full submission here.
