About (2020)

The Irish Penal Reform Trust (IPRT) would like to express sincere thanks for the continued support of our donor-advised family fund and the Community Foundation for Ireland for providing financial support, which has made this publication, Progress in the Penal System (2020), possible. It is more important than ever that the rights of people in the penal system continue to be spotlighted.

A special thanks to members of the PIPS Advisory Group: Professor Aislinn O’Donnell, Professor Ian O’Donnell, Niall Walsh, and Dr. Cormac Behan. A big thank you to Dr. Seamus Taylor for his long-term vision of the PIPS project.

Many thanks to the Irish Prison Service, particularly Caroline Finn and Alan O’Callaghan, who worked with us to provide relevant information to the project. Thanks also to Dr. Conor O’Neill from the National Forensic Mental Health Service (NFMHS) for providing data to support the project.

The PIPS project is also not possible without the wide level of engagement from various stakeholders that inform and contribute to IPRT’s work.

The ambitious Progress in the Penal System ‘PIPS’ report and overall project would not come to its full fruition without the dedication and commitment of the whole IPRT team.

This report is dedicated to those in prison and their families during the Covid-19 pandemic. We hope that the impact of Covid-19 on prison systems will be taken as an opportunity to progress positive long-term penal policy change in Ireland.

Responsibility for the content of the report and any omissions lies with IPRT.

Michelle Martyn,
Senior Research & Policy Projects Manager, Irish Penal Reform Trust

Guiding Principles of Penal Reform

1. Imprisonment is viewed as a sanction of last resort
2. Recognition of the harms and costs associated with imprisonment
3. Adherence to the ‘Deprivation of Liberty’ principle where the loss of freedom is viewed as the punishment
4. Balance the security and protection of prisoners with provision of a safe and purposeful regime
5. Protection and promotion of human rights, equality and social justice
6. Focus on rehabilitation, desistance and reintegration.

Values of the Penal System

• Safety, protection of life and a duty of care
• Respect, dignity and protection from inhumane, discriminatory or degrading treatment
• Accountability and transparency
• Consistency and promotion of fairness and equality
• Promotion and maintenance of good relationships between prisoners, staff and management

List of acronyms

BSS	Bail Supervision Scheme
CMH	Central Mental Hospital
CPT	European Committee for the Prevention of Torture
CSO	Community Service Order
CTT	Contract Tracing Teams
ECHR	European Convention on Human Rights
EPR	European Prison Rules
HIQA	Health Information and Quality Authority
HSE	Health Service Executive
ICCPR	International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
ICESCR	International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
IHREC	Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission
IOG	Implementation Oversight Group
IPS	Irish Prison Service
NPHET	National Public Health and Emergency Team
NPM	National Preventative Mechanism
OiP	Office of the Inspector of Prisons
OPCAT	Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture
PICLS	Prison In-Reach and Court Liaison Service
PPE	Personal Protective Equipment
PPRG	Penal Policy Review Group
PRILA	Prisons: the Rule of Law, Accountability and Rights
PQ	Parliamentary question
QNPMHS	Quality Network for Prison Mental Health Services
VC	Visiting Committee
WHO	World Health Organization
WTE	Whole-Time Equivalent