Psychiatric care and prisons - Why is the State relying on prisons to fill the gaps in a broken system - The Journal.ie
13th February 2026
IPRT Executive Director, Saoirse Brady, wrote an op-ed following the RTÉ Investigates documentary on psychiatric care. She highlights how failures in Ireland’s mental health system are resulting in people in crisis being placed in prisons rather than receiving appropriate care. The piece outlines the human impact on individuals and families, as well as the State’s obligations under human rights frameworks. It calls for urgent investment in mental health services and an end to the use of prisons as a substitute for healthcare.
The op-ed is linked here.
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- Reports into deaths in custody ‘highlight serious systemic failures', says Irish Penal Reform Trust - Irish Independent
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