Prisons

The positive changes rapidly made in Ireland's prison service during the Covid-19 pandemic are at risk of being reversed, the Irish Penal Reform Trust (IPRT) has warned. The penal reform body today published its fourth annual review of standards in Irish prisons, which welcomes the reduction of pris

Plans to allow Ireland to ratify the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture (OPCAT) by 2023 form part of the prison inspectorate's first-ever strategic plan. The Office of the Inspector of Prisons yesterday published a three-year strategic plan for the period up to and including 2023, w

A small number of virtual prison visits will take place on Christmas Day this year, the Northern Ireland Prison Service has announced. The move follows the suspension of physical prison visits from midnight tonight under the latest Covid-19 restrictions.

Physical visits to Irish prisons will be suspended from midnight tomorrow under the latest Covid-19 restrictions. All physical visits booked after 24 December 2020 have now been cancelled and families have been urged to rebook a video visit.

The Court of Appeal has rejected a man’s argument that he was imprisoned for 24 hours longer than permitted. Upholding Mr Justice Seamus Noonan’s decision in the High Court, Ms Justice Máire Whelan said that the calculation of the term of his imprisonment was correct.

No prisoners will benefit from temporary release for Christmas this year due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Justice Minister Naomi Long has announced. In-person prison visits will be re-introduced over the holiday season, but the Christmas home leave scheme has been put "on pause".

The government has come under renewed pressure to ratify a UN treaty on torture following a critical report on conditions in Irish prisons, psychiatric facilities and social care homes. The Council of Europe's committee on the prevention of torture (CPT) yesterday published a report based on its vis

A review of support measures for prison officers suffering from work-related stress has been delayed by at least a month and a half. The review was announced by Justice Minister Naomi Long in June and was originally due to be completed by the end of October.

Care and supervision units (CSUs) in Northern Ireland prisons are set to be reviewed following concerns about the length of time some prisoners have spent in them. Late last month, investigative journalists at The Detail found that there were 611 occasions between 1 November 2016 and 31 October 2019

Two of Ireland's largest prisons are facing suspected outbreaks of Covid-19. A firearms trial at the Special Criminal Court was postponed this morning due to a suspected outbreak at Mountjoy Prison, according to reports.

Andrew Desmond, associate at William Fry, examines a recent investigation by the Data Protection Commission (DPC). The Data Protection Commission has found a security system used in Irish prisons to be in breach of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) after investigating a complaint by a pr

Plans for a new joint "care and justice campus" for children and young people, incorporating the existing Lakewood Regional Secure Care Centre and Woodlands Juvenile Justice Centre, have gone out for consultation. Justice Minister Naomi Long said the combined campus would help to reduce offending an

Staff at Oberstown Children's Detention Campus have threatened to strike over the placement of a young woman into a new mixed-gender unit. Trade union Fórsa said its members were not consulted on the establishment of the new unit and have concerns about the impact on detainees and staff.

Prison visits are set to be "temporarily suspended" in Northern Ireland from Friday evening following a tightening of Covid-19 restrictions. The Northern Ireland Prison Service (NIPS) said the decision was made "following a discussion with the Justice Minister" and in response to further restriction

The Northern Ireland Prison Service (NIPS) has replaced much of its vehicle fleet with electric vehicles, helping to reduce its vehicle maintenance costs by a half in three years. The Prison Escorting and Court Custody Service (PECCS) based at Maghaberry Prison maintains and services a fleet of 99 p