IPRT promotes a penal system that is: humane as experienced by people who are detained, protects and promotes human rights and equality, and strives to achieve international best practice in formal regimes, daily practices and overall culture.
It is the sentence of deprivation of liberty in itself that is the core punitive sanction, the conditions and treatment while in prison should not be used as additional punishment.
Accordingly, we believe that while restrictions on the freedom of movement are necessarily introduced while in prison, prisoners should retain all other rights to the greatest possible degree while serving their sentences. In particular, IPRT believes that prisoners have the right to be treated with dignity and respect for their rights; they have the right to safety and security of the person, the right to be treated humanely and be free from torture, degrading or inhuman treatment or punishment.
We work to ensure that regimes in prisons and children detention facilities are humane, and reflect human rights standards as a minimum in the short term, striving for international best practice in the medium to long term.
1st September 2009
A set of standards, published by the Inspector of Prisons, against which the assessment of prison conditions in Ireland will be measured. IPRT welcomes the inclusion of international human rights standards, and the recognition that they constitute a benchmark...
31st August 2009
In August 2009, IPRT, FLAC and ICCL made a joint submission to the UN Human Rights Committee as a 1-year update on the Concluding Observations of the Committee following their visit in 2008.
18th June 2009
IPRT Executive Director, Liam Herrick, focuses on Prisoners' Rights in Ireland, 'ECHR and Irish Law' - an authoritative account of the incorporation of the ECHR and its impact on Irish law in practice, ed. Dr Ursula Kilkelly.
25th May 2009
An article published in the Judicial studies Institute Journal in 2008 by Claire Hamilton (former Chair of IPRT) and Dr Ursula Kilkelly (current Chair of IPRT).
14th July 2008
The Shadow Report to the Third Periodic Report under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) is the product of a year’s research and consultation with the Irish NGO community by FLAC, ICCL and IPRT, endorsed by 15 other Irish NGOs.
30th April 2008
Report by the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights on his visit to Ireland, November 2007.
31st January 2008
A resource on the Committee's 2006 visit including IPRT submission.
8th October 2007
Submission of the Irish Penal Reform Trust to the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights in preparation for the Commissioner’s November 2007 Visit to Ireland.
3rd March 2006
Submission of the Irish Penal Reform Trust to the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) in preparation for the 2006 CPT visit to Ireland.
18th September 2003
Report to the Government of Ireland on the visit to Ireland carried out by the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) from 20 to 28 May 2002, and the response by the Government of Ireland.
Respect for rights in the penal system with prison as a last resort.