Penal Reform · TheJournal.ie

# penal-reform - This year 2022

Judges to be able to set minimum life sentences as changes to Ireland's penal system announced

# Penal Reform

Judges to be able to set minimum life sentences as changes to Ireland's penal system announced

Aug 31st 2022, 12:51 PM 13,733 Views 27 Comments

The plan is to keep non-violent offenders out of prison to reduce overcrowding.

Report claims pandemic ban on prison visits and lack of psychological supports impacting prisoner health

# Penal Reform

Report claims pandemic ban on prison visits and lack of psychological supports impacting prisoner health

Feb 7th 2022, 10:58 AM 11,098 Views 27 Comments

The annual Irish Penal Reform Trust’s progress in the penal system report was published today.

# penal-reform - All time

'Prisoners have a very basic human need for contact'

# Solitary Confinement

'Prisoners have a very basic human need for contact'

Jul 9th 2017, 7:00 AM 12,893 Views 33 Comments

A change in prison rules looks at the “meaningful human contact” prisoners get when out of their cells.

Opinion: 'Prison does not cure prisoners. They do not effectively punish crime'

# Penal Reform

Opinion: 'Prison does not cure prisoners. They do not effectively punish crime'

Oct 16th 2016, 8:30 PM 8,231 Views 95 Comments

It is common knowledge that deaths from suicide and drug overdoses are common in Irish prisons, writes researcher Stephen Strauss-Walsh.

# Children

Column: We continue to put children in adult prisons. It is utterly unacceptable.

Dec 19th 2014, 8:00 AM 334 Views 22 Comments

Young people have the highest rates of reoffending, but they also have the greatest capacity for change – scientific evidence proves this.

Timeline to end 'slopping out' in prisons needs to be set

# Human Rights

Timeline to end 'slopping out' in prisons needs to be set

Oct 11th 2014, 6:00 PM 7,935 Views 29 Comments

The new human rights commissioner said she is concerned about serious gaps in prison complaints procedures.

Women's prison population one third over capacity

# Overcrowding

Women's prison population one third over capacity

Mar 7th 2014, 5:30 PM 6,349 Views 40 Comments

Poor living conditions and substandard visiting conditions in state’s two female prisons.

End of an era: slopping out to officially end in Mountjoy this month

# Crime And Punishment

End of an era: slopping out to officially end in Mountjoy this month

Nov 9th 2013, 5:00 PM 22,860 Views 89 Comments

Twelve per cent of prisoners are currently forced to ‘slop out’ but the Prison Service says things are gradually changing.

Shatter announces major redevelopment at Limerick Prison

# Penal Reform

Shatter announces major redevelopment at Limerick Prison

Jun 11th 2012, 5:36 PM 3,301 Views 17 Comments

Both the A and B wings will be replaced with a modern, 100-cell accommodation block.

Column: Long jail terms don’t work in tackling crime – no matter what ‘common sense’ says

# Opinion

Column: Long jail terms don’t work in tackling crime – no matter what ‘common sense’ says

Dec 12th 2011, 7:30 AM 138 Views 54 Comments

Our prisons are bursting, and yet we continue to lock more people up. To keep communities safe we need a serious rethink, writes Liam Herrick.

# Daily Fix

The Daily Fix: Monday

May 30th 2011, 8:03 PM 621 Views 0 Comments

Catch up on the day’s news, including: Zuma arrives in Libya for mediation; Prison Inspector criticises investigations into prisoner deaths; and what really happens when you don’t pay your TV licence…

Prisons' Inspector criticises procedures for investigating prisoner deaths

# Irish Prisons

Prisons' Inspector criticises procedures for investigating prisoner deaths

May 30th 2011, 7:22 PM 550 Views 0 Comments

Judge Michael Reilly says that investigations into the deaths of prisoners do not meet the standards of international best practice and lack consistency across the country’s 14 prisons.