The work of IPRT is led by a number of standards developed by international bodies, organisations and courts in relation to imprisonment and wider issues of the State’s penal policy. In particular, our work is based on the commitment to implement in Ireland a human rights-based approach to penal policy.
With this in mind, IPRT’s research, policy and awareness-raising campaigns are developed to support and monitor the implementation in the context of penal policy in Ireland of the United Nations and Council of Europe standards.
The IPRT is also committed to the promotion of best practice examples that have proved effective in other jurisdictions. To this end, we aim to provide a comprehensive library of good practices that can be accessed and used by practitioners, academics, prisoners, and anyone else interested in penal reform and penal policy. The Library is updated on a regular basis to take into account most recent developments in this area.
1st November 2018
The Health and Social Care Committee has published a comprehensive report on health and care in prisons with a finding that the Government is failing in its duty of care to prisoners.
31st October 2018
The APPG on Women in the Penal System has published a report on its inquiry into the sentencing of women.
25th October 2018
The Ministry of Justice has published reports on Safety in Custody Statistics and Deaths of Offenders in the Community for England and Wales.
16th October 2018
Her Majesty’s Inspector of Prisons (HMIP) and the Care Quality Commission (UK) have published a thematic report on Social Care in Prisons in England and Wales.
12th October 2018
An update on the implementation of recommendations from the ‘Farmer Review’ (2017) has been published on the NICCO website.
11th October 2018
The Prisons and Probation Ombudsman (England and Wales) has released its Annual Report 2017-2018
20th September 2018
The Howard League for Penal Reform has published research on the need for the development of formal sentencing principles for young adults.
24th July 2018
The Summer 2018 edition of the Prison Reform Trust's Bromley Briefings provides extensive facts and figures on a wide range of key areas within the UK prison system.
16th July 2018
Using data from the Ministry of Justice, Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs and the Department for Work and Pensions, the Justice Data Lab have produced a report assessing the employment and benefits outcomes for offenders who received grants for distance learning in prison.
9th July 2018
‘What about me?’ is essential research conducted by the Prison Reform Trust, detailing the impact on children when mothers are involved in the criminal justice system.
Respect for rights in the penal system with prison as a last resort.