The Council of Europe’s Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) today published its main findings following a visit to five Irish prisons and other facilities in 2024.

The report notes a number of positive developments since the CPT’s last visit in 2019, including improvements to prison infrastructure, less use of segregation, greater scope for temporary release and the virtual eradication of “slopping out” practices.

However, the committee has called on the Irish authorities to take concrete actions to address a number of critical issues.

The CPT found that physical safety in male prisons has deteriorated sharply. Violence between prisoners remains widespread and allegations of prisoner abuse by staff have increased.

The committee also received several allegations of excessive force being used by staff during operations to control, restrain and relocate prisoners.

Equally concerning to the CPT was a pattern of preventable deaths in custody, notably among prisoners suspected of concealing drugs inside their bodies, and a lack of reviews to prevent such tragedies recurring.

Overcrowding also remains a chronic issue, according to the report. Many single or double cells were packed with three or four inmates, sometimes in squalid conditions.

Certain prisoners were often spending up to 23 hours a day locked in their cells. Such conditions may amount to inhuman and degrading treatment, the CPT has warned.

The committee also found that the provision of mental healthcare in prison remains critically deficient, made worse by the overcrowding situation and reliance on using imprisonment for severely mentally ill inmates.

The CPT underlined that prisons are fundamentally inappropriate places for people with severe mental illness.

During the committee’s visit to the Central Mental Hospital, patients consistently spoke positively of their interactions with staff, who were commended for the professionalism and commitment.

The committee also identified serious deficiencies in legal protections for legally incapacitated patients, such as those classified as wards of court, despite the enactment of relevant legislation.

Regarding children and young adults, the CPT highlighted “both challenges and promise” following its visit to the Oberstown Children Detention Campus and Ballydowd Special Care Unit.

The committee underlined some unresolved structural issues, most notably Ireland’s lack of capacity in special care units resulting in prolonged periods of detention for young people waiting for appropriate placement.