Prisons

Irish soldiers are no longer providing a 24/7 armed guard at Portlaoise Prison for the first time in more than 50 years. The Defence Forces were deployed to the prison at the height of the Troubles in the 1970s in order to prevent IRA prisoners from escaping.

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

A prisoner in Maghaberry who was denied drug addiction treatment for over three years suffered a breach of his human rights, Northern Ireland's High Court has ruled. The man, represented by Harte Coyle Collins prison law solicitor Chris McCann, brought a judicial review challenge against the South E

The High Court has determined that the failure on part of the prison authorities to provide kosher food to a rabbi did not constitute a sufficiently egregious circumstance such as to render his detention unlawful. Delivering judgment for the High Court, Ms Justice Nuala Jackson stated that she did n

A new solar farm at Hydebank Wood Secure College and Female Prison is to produce around 15 per cent of the site's total annual power needs. The 668 solar panels, capable of producing 356 kWp of electricity, are estimated to reduce electricity bills at the facility by around £60,000 per year, b

Older prisoners in England and Wales could be held in secure social care in the community to account for their specific health needs, a landmark new report has suggested. The report by Dr Jayne Price, published today by the Prison Reform Trust, calls on the Ministry of Justice to publish a national

English prisons are virtually full, according to new figures showing fewer than 100 places now left across the male prison estate. According to the BBC, there were a record 84,596 inmates in the male prison estate as of Friday 23 August.

The mandatory retirement age of prison officers has increased from 60 to 62 with effect from today. A similar increase has taken effect for firefighters and members of the Permanent Defence Forces, though has not yet been introduced for gardaí, which will "follow shortly", the Department of J

Nearly a dozen prisoners have been hospitalised following what is suspected to be a mass drug overdose in Portlaoise Prison. A total of 11 prisoners are being treated at the Midlands Regional Hospital in Portlaoise following a major incident yesterday afternoon — just weeks after the Irish Pri

Eight leading children's rights and youth justice charities have called for an end to child imprisonment in England and Wales. A review by the Alliance for Youth Justice, Article 39, Centre for Crime and Justice Studies, Child Rights International Network, Howard League for Penal Reform, INQUEST, Ju

Dozens of new prison officers are being recruited in Northern Ireland in response to a "very steep rise" in prisoner numbers. Northern Ireland's prison population has increased by over 500 prisoners since July 2021 and now stands at 1,920.

The Irish Prison Service has issued an urgent nationwide drug alert over lethal nitazene. Analysis by the HSE National Drug Treatment Centre Laboratory has confirmed the presence of a "nitazene-type substance" associated with overdoses in Irish prisons, one of which is fatal.

Psychologists at Trinity College Dublin have launched a new research project exploring the experience of growing up with an imprisoned father. The study, being undertaken by a small team of researchers in the School of Psychology, Trinity College Dublin, will explore the experience of male children

The High Court has upheld a decision of the minister for social protection concerning the suspension of disability allowance of a former prisoner, and has refused to strike down s.210(1) of the Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005 as unconstitutional. Delivering judgment for the High Court, Ms Just

The government of Honduras is to build a “mega-prison” to deal with gang violence in a move similar to its neighbour El Salvador. President Xiomara Castro announced the new project along with other emergency measures such as giving the military a greater role in tackling organised crime