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Thursday 30 November 2023 Dublin: 3°C

# Irish Prison Service

‘Children don’t deserve this’: Visiting an imprisoned parent is ‘traumatising’
Gruelling travel, harsh security and restricted interaction with parents make prison visits extremely tough for children.
Children go through metal detectors, drug swabs, pat down searches and sniffer dogs
Noteworthy analysis finds more than 60% of visiting slots are during normal secondary school hours
There are ‘not enough staff’ to enable visits families are entitled to
The Explainer x Noteworthy: Are kids being locked out from jailed parents?
‘A long way from normal’: Families say visits to prison still restricted post-pandemic
7.7k
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8 hours ago
Yesterday
29th November 2023
‘A long way from normal’: Families say visits to prison still restricted post-pandemic
A report by
Alice Chambers
Some children only get to see their parent in-person once a month and experts are concerned that video calls are replacing visits.
Investigation by Noteworthy finds the number of children visiting prison is 75% of what it was in 2019
Less than a third of prisoners received in-person visits on weeks where data was provided in 2023
Mother-of-two: “I want my kids to know who their father is”
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Wed 12:05 AM
This month
November 2023
CCTV captured alleged assault of a prisoner by prison officer
Video footage of the alleged incident was captured on two devices.
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0
Nov 17th 2023, 10:07 PM
More prisoners on temporary release in attempt to tackle Irish Prison Service overcrowding
A report by
Muiris O'Cearbhaill
Last week, there were 126 more people in custody than beds in Irish prisons.
There are currently over 5,200 people registered in the Irish prison system, even though the capacity is just over 4,500 people.
According to one source, the Service is using parole to release inmates under supervision in a bid to tackle overcrowding.
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Nov 7th 2023, 12:05 AM
This year
2023
Multiple prison staff investigated for allegedly using company fuel cards to top up their own cars
A report by
Muiris O'Cearbhaill
It’s believed that approximately €3,000 worth of fuel was paid for using the cards.
The cards belonged to the Prison Service Escort Corp.
It is understood that an internal inquiry is ongoing and active.
40.3k
0
Sep 28th 2023, 12:05 AM
Mountjoy's female prisoners without specialised rape counselling since last August
A report by
Eoghan Dalton
The situation has caused alarm for those working in the sector, as international research suggests at least half of female prisoners have been sexually abused.
11.9k
16
May 25th 2023, 12:05 AM
Prison officer stabbed in face during attempted escape by inmate from Mountjoy
The injured officer is believed to be in a stable condition.
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0
May 8th 2023, 3:13 PM
Minister says policy on transgender prisoners 'will be informed by best international practice'
The Irish Prison Service is due to finalise a policy on the matter.
10.0k
5
Mar 22nd 2023, 6:06 PM
Irish Penal Reform Trust express 'grave concern' as bed capacity reaches 100% across prison estate
Limerick’s female prison has reached highs of 164% capacity.
10.3k
19
Updated
Feb 3rd 2023, 9:13 AM
Prison staff knew Cork man was suffering 'delusions' prior to fatal suicide attempt
Report finds staff did carry out a significant number of checks on cell – more than what is required by Irish Prison Service procedures.
39.6k
3
Jan 31st 2023, 9:49 PM
Last year
2022
Blind Justice: How prison is leaving Travellers isolated and traumatised
From unfair treatment to overuse of protection regimes, Noteworthy and The Journal investigate inequality in Ireland’s justice system.
From unfair treatment to overuse of protection regimes, Noteworthy and The Journal investigate inequality in Ireland's justice system
Reports of prison staff using anti-Traveller language, with experts saying 'systematic change' and 'accountability' is needed
Traveller Advocate: There is 'structural racism in the criminal justice system'
24.6k
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Oct 31st 2022, 8:30 AM
Mountjoy inmate who was injured after attack by group of prisoners has died
The Irish Prison Service confirmed his death in a statement this morning.
72.3k
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Updated
Aug 3rd 2022, 4:27 PM
Garda appeal in prison van ramming incident as gang flees in Northern-registered vehicle
The prison van was returning from court to a jail with prisoners when it was attacked.
46.5k
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Updated
Jun 16th 2022, 1:18 PM
Man accused of murdering his wife and children found dead in prison
Sameer Syed was due to stand trial next week charged with the murder of his wife and two children on 28 October 2020.
63.4k
0
Jun 9th 2022, 9:40 PM
Irish Prison Service to launch major review of how psychologists deal with sex offenders
The Irish Prison Service has said that the work of its psychologists would be expanded to deal with people serving sentences for sexual violence.
30.6k
15
May 20th 2022, 12:05 AM
Prison officers call for pay rise as prison service to break away from Department of Justice
The Prison Officers’ Association (POA) began their annual conference in Sligo last night.
19.3k
7
Apr 27th 2022, 7:01 AM
Irish Prison Service cancels in person visits to inmates in all jails in response to Covid-19
Family visits will be temporarily suspended from 10 January until 24 January, 2022.
17.0k
0
Jan 7th 2022, 9:10 PM
All time
Prison watchdog: Cork inmates afraid to talk to inspectors for fear of reprisal by authorities
The report recorded claims by one inmate that a Black prisoner had been referred to by a prison officer as “a raisin in a bowl of rice”.
12.8k
20
Dec 21st 2021, 4:35 PM
Prison service facing 'unprecedented challenge' as it manages three Covid-19 outbreaks
There are at least 63 confirmed cases of Covid-19 among inmates.
10.4k
9
Nov 18th 2021, 11:25 AM
Irish Prison Service 'aware' of TikTok video claiming to be filmed in Mountjoy Prison
The video has been viewed more than 400,000 times.
50.6k
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Jul 5th 2021, 7:48 PM
1,200 inmates receive Covid vaccines as wider roll-out to prisons begins
The vaccinations will be administered by staff from the National Ambulance Service.
10.6k
25
Jun 16th 2021, 11:56 AM
Some prisoners had no access to a shower for 14 days while quarantining
The Irish Prison Service has “poor adherence” with laws on handling prisoner complaints, report finds.
25.8k
61
Jun 11th 2021, 10:41 PM
HSE confirms prison nurses will be vaccinated as frontline healthcare workers - but timeline remains unclear
Some prison nurses were told they would not be included in the healthcare worker stage of the vaccine roll-out at all.
13.0k
19
Jan 16th 2021, 7:30 AM
Woman becomes first confirmed Covid-19 case in Irish prison system
It is understood the woman has been in quarantine since her incarceration.
40.2k
28
Aug 22nd 2020, 3:58 PM
Visiting restrictions relaxed further for prisoners - except at Portlaoise and Midlands prisons
Limits on visiting were introduced at the start of the Covid-19 crisis.
11.7k
6
Aug 17th 2020, 3:46 PM
Fifty-five prisoners granted temporary release since start of March re-arrested
Thirty-seven of the 55 were re-arrested for allegedly committing a range of criminal offences.
26.8k
30
Jun 24th 2020, 8:00 PM
Prison visits to resume across two phases
The Irish Prison Service suspended visits in March because of the pandemic.
13.5k
33
Jun 23rd 2020, 10:58 PM
Number of people jailed for not paying court-ordered fines almost doubled in 2019
The Irish Prison Service annual report 2019 was published today.
12.7k
25
Jun 15th 2020, 12:05 PM
'Everyone had to play their part': How Ireland kept Covid-19 out of its prisons
Even with the movement of staff in and out of prisons and some 700 new committals there have been no confirmed cases among inmates.
17.2k
24
Jun 10th 2020, 5:29 PM
Prison Service now has temperature checks at the entrances to all prisons
“Difficulties do exist in implementing social distancing on the basis that over 52% of prisoners share cells,” a prison spokesperson said.
14.6k
15
Mar 31st 2020, 7:24 PM
Alcohol-free hand sanitiser given to prisoners over fears it would be used for 'moonshine'
Alcohol-based sanitiser was banned after prisoners drank a concoction of handwash and prescription drugs in 2014.
30.8k
37
Mar 16th 2020, 10:46 AM
Coronavirus: Talks underway to reduce number of people in prison in a 'controlled manner'
Concerns had already been raised about how the Irish Prison Service would cope with Covid-19.
49.1k
103
Mar 13th 2020, 9:07 PM
Irish Prison Service set to spend €1.3 million on inmate clothing
Boxers must be a 50-50 cotton-polyester mix and be washable at 40ºC.
22.6k
31
Mar 10th 2020, 6:10 AM
'They don’t even have the capacity to keep everyone in single cells': Concerns over potential Covid-19 spread in prisons
The Irish Penal Reform Trust has said that overcrowded prisons make it harder to control the spread of the viruses.
29.6k
49
Mar 5th 2020, 6:30 AM
Central Mental Hospital is at full capacity, prisoners with severe conditions wait 120 days for transfer
There are also currently 614 prisoners on a waiting list for an intervention from prison psychology services.
17.5k
18
Oct 25th 2019, 12:05 AM
Investigation launched after prisoner escapes custody while attending University Hospital Limerick
The man escaped from the custody of prison officers through a window at the hospital shortly before 2pm.
20.5k
27
Oct 24th 2019, 10:30 PM
Irish prison strategy aims to tackle threat of drones but overcrowding remains major challenge
The Justice Minister launched the Irish Prison Service Strategic Plan 2019-2022 yesterday.
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23
Sep 20th 2019, 8:54 AM
Convicted child sex offender Tom Humphries released from Midlands Prison
The former sports journalist was jailed for the sexual exploitation and defilement of a child.
63.3k
121
Aug 16th 2019, 11:57 AM
Evidence to suggest tracking device was placed on private car of prison officer, report finds
The report was carried out by the Inspector of Prisons.
15.4k
4
Jul 25th 2019, 5:39 PM
Opinion: I want to change the way society sees ex-offenders so I organised a TEDx Talk in Mountjoy
Ex prisoners took to the stage to deliver talks to an audience of prisoners, senior policymakers, politicians, activists, education-providers, and employers, writes Nikki Gallagher.
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Apr 6th 2019, 7:30 AM
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