Prison

It is entirely unacceptable that people with serious mental health problems are detained in prisons, the director of the Prison Service has said. Caron McCaffrey also admitted that overcrowding was a serious problem, but added there has been a notable increase in the imprisonment of people guilty of

Individuals released in 2019 from custodial sentences lasting between three and six months had the highest likelihood of re-offending within a year, new statistics show. Justice Minister Helen McEntee has welcomed the latest publication by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) of a statistical release

The penal system has regressed over the last five years in key areas of practice, the Irish Penal Reform Trust (IPRT) has said. In its latest Progress in the Penal System (PIPS) report, IPRT measured progress in the penal system against international human rights standards and best practice, coverin

Whistleblowing allegations from current and former prison officers made up the majority of protected disclosures received by the Department of Justice in 2018. In its protected disclosures annual report, it was revealed that 11 of the 13 cases it received related to the Irish Prison Service, the Iri

Far greater numbers of prison officers are injured by inmates than was previously thought, a new recording system has shown. Figures from the Irish Prison Service on ‘restraint interventions’ indicate that there were 137 incidents in 2018, as compared to 91 in 2017, when recording of the

The Northern Ireland Prison Service has changed its policy on which books can be taken into jails. A review was ordered by the Director General Ronnie Armour after it emerged that inmates at Maghaberry Prison could not access a book on dissident republicanism.

Prisons are becoming overcrowded again as more people are being jailed by the courts and for longer terms, The Irish Times reports. The average number of prisoners in custody daily rose by eight per cent to 3,911 last year, according to the Irish Prison Service annual report.