@irishpenalreform.bsky.social
Respect for rights in the penal system with prison as a last resort. | Reg. Charity No. 20029562 | www.iprt.ie
#Budget2026 Welcome boost for Probation, but prison expansion won’t solve overcrowding.
Over 5,500 people in prisons built for 4,675. 499 sleeping on mattresses.
Real reform means investing in community sanctions, not more cells. Read our full statement: bit.ly/439BNNY
We also welcomed the requirement for Judges to give reasons for choosing custody over a community-based sanction. #lawreform #penalreform #justicereform #communitysanctions
03.10.2025 15:41 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Key points we highlighted from our June submission:
- Oppose incapacitant sprays in prisons - human rights concerns & no proof they reduce violence.
- Support expanding community service orders as alternatives to short prison sentences.
#PrisonReform #CommunitySanctions
Earlier this week, IPRT’s Saoirse Brady and Niamh McCormack appeared before the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice to discuss the General Scheme: Criminal Law & Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2025. Watch recording here: bit.ly/472n3CX
#justicereform
Key points from our June 2025 submission on the bill:
-Oppose incapacitant sprays in prisons on human rights grounds.
- Support expansion of community service orders.
Read IPRT's full submission here: bit.ly/48I4cyh
Today @ 3 PM, Saoirse Brady and Niamh McCormack of IPRT are speaking before the Justice, Home Affairs & Migration Committee on the Criminal Law & Civil Law (Misc Provisions) Bill.
Watch live here: bit.ly/472n3CX
@saoirse-b.bsky.social #criminallaw #penalreform #humanrights #prisonreform
Huge thanks to our speakers for their insights:
Mark Kelly, Chief Inspector of Prisons
MaryRogan, Professor in Law, Trinity College Dublin
Rebecca Keatinge, @rebeccakeatinge.bsky.social
Head of Compliance and Monitoring, IHREC.
Overcrowding is a major issue in Irish prisons, but it reflects wider penal policy challenges. As Mark Kelly said: “No comparable jurisdiction has managed to build its way out of an overcrowding crisis.” #PrisonOvercrowding #CPTIreland2025
25.09.2025 13:47 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0- A proper complaints system is needed — one that protects prisoners from the risk of reprisals.
-Effective human-rights-based monitoring is needed across all settings where someone may be deprived of liberty, including Garda custody, nursing homes, immigration detention.
- Strong, independent oversight is essential, with the mandate to publish inspection reports.
- Mentally ill people in Irish prisons are not receiving adequate treatment, and some are placed in conditions that worsen their situation. #cpt2025 #CPTReport #CPTIreland2025
Yesterday, IPRT hosted a well-attended panel discussion, chaired by
@saoirse_b
on the report of the Council of Europe’s Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) on its official visit to Ireland. Some key takeaways from the discussion 👇
#CPTIreland2025 #CPT2025
Huge thanks to our speakers for their insights:
Mark Kelly, Chief Inspector of Prisons
Mary Rogan, Professor in Law, Trinity College Dublin
Rebecca Keatinge @rebeccakeatinge.bsky.social, Head of Compliance and Monitoring, IHREC.
Overcrowding is a major issue in Irish prisons, but it reflects wider penal policy challenges. As Mark Kelly said: “No comparable jurisdiction has managed to build its way out of an overcrowding crisis.” #PrisonOvercrowding #CPTIreland2025
25.09.2025 12:22 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0- A proper complaints system is needed — one that protects prisoners from the risk of reprisals.
-Effective human-rights-based monitoring is needed across all settings where someone may be deprived of liberty, including Garda custody, nursing homes, immigration detention. #CPTIreland2025
- Strong, independent oversight is essential, with the mandate to publish inspection reports.
- Mentally ill people in Irish prisons are not receiving adequate treatment, and some are placed in conditions that worsen their situation. #cpt2025 #CPTReport #CPTIreland2025
25.09.2025 12:22 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0
Yesterday, IPRT hosted a well-attended panel discussion, chaired by @saoirse_b on the report of the Council of Europe’s Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) on its official visit to Ireland. Some key takeaways from the discussion 👇
#CPTIreland2025 #CPT2025
Join us this afternoon as experts reflect on the Council of Europe’s Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) report following its official visit to Ireland. Watch live:
www.youtube.com/live/5BOo_YO...
#CPTReport #CPTIreland2025
Ireland’s prisons are at 120% capacity — with almost 500 people sleeping on the floor.
IPRT’s #Budget2026 submission calls for investment in mental health, alternatives to prison & reintegration, not more prison beds.
Read full submission here: bit.ly/4n5qVJ3
IPRT’s Saoirse Brady spoke with Darren J. Prior on Near FM about Ireland’s prison system, why prison should not always be the answer to less serious crime, and how community service & restorative justice can build safer communities. 🎧 bit.ly/4gyrxVi
15.09.2025 17:12 — 👍 5 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0More spaces results in more people being imprisoned (Whittaker Report, 1985).
Overcrowding reduces access to vital services.
3 in 4 committals were for less than 1 year meaning little chance for assessment or rehab. Real solutions must respect dignity & rights.
Saoirse Brady joined the Claire Byrne Show on
@RTERadio1
to discuss the crisis of prison overcrowding. We cannot build our way out of this – prison expansion is not the answer.
Listen back (Saoirse from 54:23–56:25): bit.ly/3In0cIR
#overcrowding #humanrights
Real solutions lie in:
Expanding probation + community sanctions
Strengthening mental health + addiction services
Ensuring prison is the sanction of last resort
#penalreform #prisonreform #humanrights
This follows her News at One interview last week, responding to the
@IrishPrisons
Annual Report. The message is clear: Ireland cannot build its way out of the overcrowding crisis.
CYMI: Our Executive Director, Saoirse Brady, told RTÉ Six One News on 04/09 that prison overcrowding + people forced to sleep on mattresses are a breach of human dignity + fundamental rights. bit.ly/4n66E60 (From 33:55)
09.09.2025 10:34 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0We cannot build our way out of this crisis. We need further investment in probation supervision (costs less than 10 per cent of prison cost), establish the pilot bail support scheme for women and better access to mental health and addiction services.
05.09.2025 09:01 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0Key stats from the report include:
- 77 per cent of sentences were for 12 months or less
- a prison place costs almost €100,000 per year
- 213 people were sleeping on mattresses on the floor
- one in five people were on remand
- there was a 17% increase in women in custody
On @news.rte.ie News At One, our ED @saoirse-b.bsky.social responded to Irish Prison Services 2024 Report. Overcrowding and ongoing use of mattresses are an unacceptable breach of human dignity. She called for further Investment in probation & community sanctions. Listen back (36:39): bit.ly/4oYh3SK
05.09.2025 09:01 — 👍 2 🔁 2 💬 1 📌 0
Image of the front of an RTÉ article Prison overcrowding extremely concerning says Irish Penal Reform Trust
🗣️ Prison overcrowding 'extremely concerning'
Irish Penal Reform Trust (IPRT) Executive Director, @saoirse-b.bsky.social, spoke to @rte.ie about the increasing prison overcrowding crisis.
📰 📻 Read the article and listen back to the radio clip 👉 www.iprt.ie/iprt-in-the-...
image of person facing the camera, in front of a banner reading Irish penal reform trust. text underneath reads: Niamh McCormack, IPRT Legal, Policy and Public Affairs Manager
🌟 We’re delighted to welcome Niamh McCormack as the newest member of the IPRT team, joining us as Legal, Policy and Public Affairs Manager. She brings a wealth of experience in criminal justice, human rights and public affairs.
📄 Niamh's staff profile: www.iprt.ie/who-we-are/i...
