IPRT Submission to Department of Justice Strategy Statement

20th November 2020

IPRT welcomed the opportunity to make a submission to the Department of Justice on its upcoming Strategy Statement. This Strategy will follow ‘A safe fair and inclusive Ireland’, the Department of Justice and Equality Strategy Statement 2016 – 2019.

The IPRT submission engages with each of the five priority areas, as outlined by the Department of Justice.

Potential actions for the Strategy, raised throughout the IPRT submission include:

• Renew the commitment to data and research in order to understand, address, and tackle the root causes of crime.
• Introduce legislation to strengthen interagency co-operation to reduce harm.
• Extend the Garda Youth Diversion Programmes to 18-24s, as outlined in the Draft Youth Justice Strategy.
• Finalise the internal prisoner complaints system to facilitate prisoners' access to the Ombudsman.
• Create a modern, flexible and transparent sentencing system.
• Ensure the rights of victims, and parole candidates are met.
• Support the mental health and addiction needs of persons in the criminal justice system
• Reduce Harms and Invest in Communities.
• Support people to move on from offending behaviour.
• Ensure no immigration detainees are held in the Irish prison system.
• Ensure digital transformation is inclusive of marginalised groups.
• Ensure robust oversight and monitoring of key criminal justice agencies.
• Eliminate solitary confinement in prisons.
• Fully implement Section 42 of the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission Act 2014 (Public Sector Duty).
• Fully meet obligations under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and implement the Assisted DecisionMaking (Capacity) Act 2015.
• Fully Implement the National LGBTI+ Inclusion Strategy 2019-2021.

Where appropriate, each of the above IPRT recommended actions is accompanied by a relevant indicator of success.

Read the IPRT submission in full here or download it below.

[Please note that while the exact content of the submission is reflected in the PDF version of the submission, the submission was originally made via online survey through www.justice.ie.]