Children and families coping with imprisonment are often described as the ‘hidden’ victims of the penal system because they must endure their own sentence, despite not having perpetrated any crime. There are a variety of ways in which children and families can be affected by imprisonment including: disruption to child care arrangements, relationship breakdowns, financial loss and stigmatisation.
IPRT works towards the recognition and support of the rights and needs of children and families affected by imprisonment through research, advocacy, and awareness-raising activities. This includes an exciting three-year project (commenced in mid-2020) on families of prisoners, aiming to reduce harm for children and families affected by imprisonment, with a particular focus on reducing female imprisonment. We’re very grateful to our funders, Katharine Howard Foundation and St Stephen’s Green Trust, for supporting such a timely piece of work. You can read more about the network of organisations working in the area set up under the project on actionforfamilies.ie.
Please note this section contains information about advocacy and developments, both national and international. Practical information for prisoners and their families is available here.
21st March 2023
A ruling by the European Court of Human Rights (21 March) that safeguards a child's right to regular contact with a parent in detention, specifically in this case pre-trial detention, has marked a major development in European case law.
21st February 2023
A practical resource for practitioners, and a visionary resource for policy makers, from the Prison Reform Trust UK to support children with a mother in the criminal justice system
12th December 2022
Media release: The Irish Penal Reform Trust (IPRT) welcomed the news of the reinstatement of weekly physical visits in prisons in Ireland.
12th September 2022
*The deadline for applications has passed.*
15th August 2022
This IPRT submission to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child makes 22 recommendations relating to child justice and children with a family member in prison in Ireland.
7th January 2022
This is the Irish Penal Reform Trust’s first submission to the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. The submission makes the overarching point that Ireland is over-reliant on imprisonment as a response to social issues and socio-economic disadvantage.
10th November 2021
This submission invites the Department to closely consider the key findings and recommendations of IPRT’s 'Piecing It Together: Supporting Children and Families with a Family Member in Prison in Ireland' report before finalising the State Report.
25th October 2021
This research found that a deep distrust of local authority social services, compounded by poor communication and information sharing, forms a significant barrier to engaging mothers with services that could help prevent them from offending and support prolonged desistance.
18th October 2021
This executive summary of doctoral research by Dr Lucy Baldwin is based on in-depth research with 43 criminalised mothers, recording their experiences from their early lives, contact with the criminal justice system, prison and release.
14th October 2021
The IPRT co-chaired Action for Children and Families of Prisoners network made a submission to the consultation on the review of the Prison Rules 2007, with a specific focus on sections that relate to the work of the network.
Respect for rights in the penal system with prison as a last resort.