Current context:

In its most recent published annual report, the Mountjoy Prison Visiting Committee raised concerns about media reporting on prisoners.^[331] This issue was raised by prisoners to the Committee in 2016. While the Committee noted a reduction in such media articles during 2017, it highlighted its continued concern at the leaking of information confidential to prisoners to the media. The leaking of information was also raised as an issue in unpublished chaplaincy reports.^[332]

The Minister for Justice and Equality has highlighted the seriousness of breaches of prisoner privacy by prison staff:

Any member of the Irish Prison Service who discharges or divulges information to any third party or the media is not only contravening clear policy, but is also contravening the law. The divulging of information regarding prisoners’ private affairs is very damaging to prisoners, to the families of those who are in prison and to the Irish Prison Service. Such breaches have very real potential to compromise the safety and security of prisoners and prison staff. Breaches of this nature are an offence under the Prison (Disciplinary Code for Officers) Rules, 1996: ‘Breach of Confidence, that is to say, without proper authority, directly or indirectly disclosing, divulging, communicating, publishing or causing to be divulged, communicated or published any information not lawfully available to members of the public which comes to his or her knowledge from official sources or derives from his or her duties.’

If it is believed such a breach may have occurred, the governor of the prison concerned should carry out an investigation to ascertain whether an officer may have committed a breach under the Code of Discipline. The penalties under the code include: a reprimand; a reprimand plus a reduction in rank or a reduction in pay by deferment of one or more increments for one, three, six or 12 months or any longer period the governor may specify; or dismissal from the prison service.

The IPS has highlighted a number of steps it has taken to ensure all staff are aware of their obligations, including undertaking monthly random audits on the offender management system to ensure the purpose of the system is respected and adhered to by staff accessing personal data.^[333]

In its 2018 annual report, one of 10 complaints upheld by the Press Ombudsman’s Office was in respect to the reporting of excessive details of a suicide, which was found to have breached the privacy principle in the Press Council of Ireland’s code of practice:^[334]

A complaint was upheld that the Sunday Times breached Principle 5.4 (In the reporting of suicide excessive details of the means of suicide should be avoided) in an account of a report by prison authorities into the death by suicide of a prisoner who had a history of self-harm and repeated attempts to take his life. The Press Ombudsman decided that the inclusion of detailed information about how the prisoner killed himself was excessive. The Sunday Times appealed the decision to the Press Council. The appeal was carried over to 2019.^[335]

In 2016, the Office of the Press Ombudsman produced a leaflet for prisoners, on how the Press Ombudsman can assist prisoners. The Office also made presentations to prisoners about their work in both 2018 and 2019.^[336]

Media reporting of prisoners on temporary release is an issue that affects prisoners and their families. Further measures need to be introduced to raise awareness of the damaging impact media reporting can have on an individual and his/her family members during the reintegration process.