IPRT in the News
As part of the Irish Penal Reform Trust (IPRT) Strategic Plan 2023-2026, one of our main goals is to campaign for a progressive criminal justice system that upholds human rights. Engagement with the media plays a large part in that as we discuss our evidence-based research, advocate for people in prison, and work to change attitudes and challenge misconceptions about people in the criminal justice system.
Below you will see a list of most of IPRT's media features including recordings of radio discussions, links to TV appearances, and access to written articles and opinion pieces. You can also listen back to long-form recorded discussions with podcast hosts on our Podcast webpage.
Prisons today Alternative sentences for most prisoners? Podcast Interview on Near FM with Saoirse Brady
11th September 2025
Prisons today. Alternative sentences for most prisoners? - Saoirse Brady, The IPRT - Near FM (2025)
Niamh McCormack spoke to Angela Noone-Faull of CRCfm in Mayo on The Chatroom,
10th September 2025
Niamh McCormack spoke to Angela Noone-Faull of CRCfm on The Chatroom, highlighting why Ireland needs real alternatives to short prison sentences.
Prison overcrowding crisis has deepened further this year
5th September 2025
RTE article on the prison overcrowding crisis in which Saoirse Brady is quoted.
New prisons ‘will not solve’ overcrowding crisis
5th September 2025
The Irish Legal News covers the launch of the Irish Prison Service's 2024 Annual Report and IPRT reaction to same. Saoirse is quoted but was not interviewed directly for this article.
Saoirse Brady speaks to News at One in an interview given as part of coverage of Irish Prisons Annual Report 2024 Saoilaunch
4th September 2025
Saoirse Brady speaks to News at One in an interview given as part of coverage of Irish Prisons Annual Report 2024 launch
Overcrowding is now a major issue is Irish prisons, new report says
25th August 2025
The article from the Liberal covers the Council of Europe’s report on chronic overcrowding and quotes the IPRT response to the CPT report.
Despite overcrowding, prison officials told to exclude immigration detainees from temporary release
13th August 2025
IPRT Raises Concerns Over Immigration Detention and Prison Overcrowding
'Human rights at risk' as Cork Prison sees 103 inmates without a bed
8th August 2025
In The Echo, IPRT’s Niamh McCormack warns that severe overcrowding in Cork Prison may amount to degrading and inhuman treatment. She highlights the impact on safety, rehabilitation, and human rights, and calls for urgent expansion of community-based sanctions.
Concerns over record overcrowding levels at Cork Prison
8th August 2025
Speaking to RedFM News, IPRT’s Legal, Policy and Public Affairs Manager Niamh McCormack said conditions in Cork Prison have become inhuman and degrading as overcrowding reaches record levels. With one in four people sleeping on mattresses on the floor, Niamh stressed that all prisoners have a right to be treated with dignity.
Niamh McCormack - Interview about the Committee on the Prevention of Torture's report on places of detention in Ireland.
25th July 2025
Niamh McCormack is interviewed about the report on the Irish prison system by the Council of Europe Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Degrading Treatment (CPT), published in July which strongly criticised the level of overcrowding across the Irish prison system.
