Key Questions for General Election Candidates

Make your voice and your vote count for penal reform!   

Here are two key questions to ask candidates running in the general election when they knock on your door (or you can ask them by email). Please report back on any commitments made by candidates, so that we can hold them to account later. You can send the information to info@iprt.ie. 

1. If elected, what will you do to safely reduce prison overcrowding and avoid prison expansion? 

Talking points: 

• Prisons in Ireland are operating far beyond safe levels, with hundreds of people sleeping on mattresses on floors in an overstretched system where services cannot meet demand. Some prisons are housing over 50 per cent more people than they are designed to hold. 

• The use of imprisonment as a last resort should be the bedrock of a modern justice system. However, in 2023, nearly three in every four people committed to prison under sentence were for sentences of less than 12 months. This poses questions about whether there is overreliance on prison, instead of investment in more effective, cheaper, community sanctions.  

• In forthcoming nationally representative polling data from Red C commissioned by IPRT in October 2024, 81% of people believe it's important to focus on alternatives to prison for non-violent offenders in the next programme for government. Support is consistently high across voters of the main political parties and independents. 

• In the same poll, most feel that people who offend with either mental health challenges (71%) or addiction difficulties (63%) should receive treatment in a dedicated health facility instead of being sent to prison. This strategy in addition to community services, are the most favoured approaches to tackle overcrowding in Irish prisons. 

• Building more prisons won’t solve prison overcrowding or create safer communities. Of those polled, 68% believe building prison spaces is not the solution and that crime should be tackled at its root. Smart policies focused on social support and sentencing that provides effective alternatives to prison can lower the need for prison spaces, while keeping communities safe. 

Actions candidates should commit to: 

1. Progress and enact legislation that will provide the courts with more effective options to hand out community-based sentences rather than a short prison sentence for a less serious offence.   

2. Invest in alternatives to custody like bail support programmes to reduce the need for pre-trial detention (remand) and address the underlying causes of offending while easing prison overcrowding. 

More info on how to put these commitments into practice: See ‘Safely Reduce Overcrowding and Avoid Prison Expansion’ section of IPRT’s Priority Proposals for General Election Manifesto 2024. 

2. If elected, what will you do to support the development of a whole-of-government strategy to support and promote the rehabilitation and reintegration of people who have been in prison? 

Talking points: 

• Reintegration after prison is key to reducing reoffending and helping people rebuild their lives. However, access to supports including housing, mental health care, and addiction treatment are lacking. On release, many people face homelessness, social stigma, and barriers to employment, housing and everyday services like insurance due to having a criminal record. 

• Effective reintegration requires close coordination across prison, probation, housing, and health services, starting on day one of imprisonment and extending well beyond release. Research shows that employment, addiction treatment, fairness in the justice system, and community-based sentences can help reduce reoffending. To truly improve public safety, the State must focus on a holistic approach that supports both individuals, their families and their communities. 

Actions candidates should commit to: 

1. Address homelessness and provide housing for people leaving prison to help reduce reoffending. Stable housing is crucial for reintegration, yet homelessness remains a barrier. There are people in prison today, who could be released early but can’t be solely because they have nowhere to live.   

2. Convert some prison spaces to open, lower-security facilities to prevent institutionalisation and support reintegration. Currently, there is no open prison for women so this should be addressed as a matter of equality. 

3. Create an interdepartmental strategy for children with a parent in prison. These children face increased risk of low educational attainment as well as poor mental and physical health. A cross-departmental approach could support them and help maintain family ties, which is a strong protective factor against reoffending for the parent. 

More info on how to put these commitments into practice: See ‘Focus on Rehabilitation and Reintegration’ section of IPRT’s Priority Proposals for General Election Manifesto 2024.