The main purpose of parole is to increase community safety. Parole does this by providing structured, supported and supervised transition of prisoners serving long sentences (primarily life-sentenced prisoners) from prison back into the community.
IPRT believes that the early prison release system in Ireland should be coherent, transparent and fair. We long campaigned for the establishment of a statutory parole system, which is fully independent of political control. We have long believed that this would help to achieve clarity in the law and support a proper balance between the protection of the public and the rights of sentenced persons to a fair and balanced system of release.
In July 2021, Parole Act 2019 was commenced, placing the parole process on a statutory footing. IPRT will continue to closely follow the implementation of and developments with the new parole process, with particular focus on any new procedures and the rehabilitation of people in prison.
17th August 2021
IPRT comment featured prominently in the media coverage and debate around the changes to parole following the commencement of the Parole Act and the establishment of a new statutory Parole Board.
12th August 2021
The Mid-Year Progress Report on Justice Plan 2021 was published in August, and details the progress made so far to achieve 5 goals - or 240 actions - identified in the Justice Action Plan 2021 published earlier this year.
11th August 2021
MEDIA ADVISORY: IPRT has welcomed the announcement of the establishment of the new statutory Parole Board and the commencement of the Parole Act 2019 by the Minister for Justice, but concerns remain around engagement with rehabilitative services.
22nd February 2021
Justice Plan 2021 is the first of a series of annual plans which the Minister will introduce to drive reforms across the Justice Sector. Each year, the Plan will be updated with new actions and timelines for delivery. IPRT welcomes this transparency.
30th November 2020
The Minister for Justice, Helen McEntee TD, has published the Parole Board Annual Report 2019. As well as standard reporting on the work of the Parole Board in 2019, the report details challenges for the new Parole Board when the Parole Act 2019 comes into operation.
11th July 2019
The Parole Bill 2016, when signed and enacted, will place the Parole Board on an independent statutory footing, with the power to make final decisions on the release of eligible prisoners.
17th June 2019
IPRT makes recommendations on how the Parole Bill 2016 could be strengthened to achieve its goals of clarity, transparency and fairness.
11th June 2019
Read about IPRT’s recent media engagements on the reform of the parole process.
5th June 2019
ADVISORY: IPRT welcomes the restated commitment of the Minister for Justice and Equality to progress legislation needed to reform the current parole system.
4th June 2019
Want to know more about how parole works? We have compiled a brief overview of the purpose of parole and temporary release, as well as some recent figures on the use of parole in Ireland.
Respect for rights in the penal system with prison as a last resort.