Iprt

Children and families are being driven into poverty as a result of a parent or partner being sentenced to prison, new research has highlighted. A report published today by the Irish Penal Reform Trust (IPRT) warns that children and families affected by imprisonment face severe and lasting financial

Ireland's prisons are at breaking point and the government cannot "build its way out" of the overcrowding crisis, a watchdog has warned. In his strongest remarks yet, the chief inspector of prisons, Mark Kelly, said a significant number of people in prison in Ireland "are being held in conditions th

Prison expansion "will not solve" the overcrowding crisis, the Irish Penal Reform Trust (IPRT) has stressed after figures showed the Irish prison population reaching a record high. The Irish Prison Service yesterday revealed that more than 200 prisoners were sleeping on mattresses on cell floors at

Work to develop a new policy document on the management of transgender prisoners is nearing completion, the Irish Prison Service has said. A spokesperson for the prison service told Irish Legal News that it was engaging with internal stakeholders on practical matters ahead of the finalisation of the

The Irish prison system is "creaking at the seams" and promises of new prison places will not adequately address the crisis, penal experts have warned. The prisons budget has been increased by 18 per cent to €525 million in Budget 2025, which the government said will increase prison capacity an

Community Foundation Ireland has marked Mandela Day with the announcement of new projects with the Irish Penal Reform Trust (IPRT) and Northern Ireland's Children's Law Centre. 18 July celebrates the birthday of Nelson Mandela, which the all-island charity is using the opportunity to confirm its ren

Penal reform campaigners have urged the new Taoiseach to tackle "the root causes of offending" instead of focusing on "harsher penalties and prison expansion". In a letter to Simon Harris, the head of the Irish Penal Reform Trust (IPRT) said it has concerns about current "political rhetoric... and t

The overwhelming majority of Irish employers say they would consider hiring someone with a history of convictions, but significant barriers remain to making this a reality, new research by the Irish Penal Reform Trust (IPRT) suggests. The NGO today published a new report titled "The Secondary Punish

There are close to 300 children in the State whose mothers are imprisoned, with devastating effects on the children and their families, according to a new report. The Irish Penal Reform Trust (IPRT) estimates that 278 children are impacted by maternal imprisonment and recommends that the courts take

Ireland's prisons are full, according to new figures showing the total number of people in prison in the State now exceeds the number of beds available. The number of prisoners across the State yesterday reached 4,416, five more than the total 4,411 beds across all prisons. One prison — Limeri

Irish law must be urgently changed to ensure that defendants who turn 18 while awaiting trial continue to be dealt with through the child justice system, the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) has been told. Molly Joyce, acting executive director of the Irish Penal Reform Trust (IPRT),

Barrister Molly Joyce has been appointed as acting executive director of the Irish Penal Reform Trust (IPRT). Having worked as the legal and public affairs manager in IPRT since November 2020, Ms Joyce has this month assumed the position of acting executive director while IPRT's executive director S

Foreign nationals and people from ethnic minority backgrounds are receiving longer prison sentences for drug offences and sexual offences than white Irish people, new research suggests. The Irish Penal Reform Trust (IPRT) today launched a new report on the rights, needs and experiences of foreign na

Penal experts have given a cautious welcome to new European figures showing Ireland has a relatively low prison population rate compared to other European countries. The Council of Europe's annual penal statistics, known as SPACE I, show that Ireland had a prison population rate of 74.4 per 100,000

Human rights lawyer Saoirse Brady has been appointed as the next executive director of the Irish Penal Reform Trust (IPRT). Ms Brady, currently head of legal, policy and public affairs at the Children's Rights Alliance, will take up the role with effect from Tuesday 3 May 2022, succeeding Fío