Press Release: IPRT responds to new Inspection Reports from the Office of the Inspector of Prisons highlighting serious failings

15th January 2026

IPRT welcomes the publication by the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration, Jim O’Callaghan of the publication of the Office of the Inspector of Prisons’ four inspection reports on five Irish prisons.  

The Irish Penal Reform Trust (IPRT) today expresses grave concern at the findings of the inspection reports which highlights the deplorable conditions faced by people in custody in Ireland.  We know that since then, conditions have deteriorated further. 

The reports, detailing findings from on-site inspections that took place at Mountjoy Prison, The Training Unit (Mountjoy), Cork Prison, Cloverhill and the Dóchas Centre between November 2022 and throughout 2023, have now been published almost three years after the visits took place.  

 

Responding to the publication of the reports, Niamh McCormack, Legal and Public Affairs Manager with IPRT said:  

“The publication of reports on inspections dating back to 2022 and 2023 demonstrates the need for Office of the Inspector of Prisons to have the power to publish its own reports. At present, the timing and selection of reports for publication are controlled by the Minister, which is clearly not consistent with an independent oversight function. 

IPRT is concerned by the gravity of the findings in the reports and calls on the Minister to publish any outstanding reports that have not yet been released, in particular reports of Dóchas Centre inspections that were directed by the former Minister for Justice following serious concerns raised by inspections.” 

 

Critical issues outlined in the reports include poor prison conditions, mistreatment of prisoners, including the misuse or overuse of solitary confinement; poor relationships between staff and prisoners; inconsistencies in discipline; inadequate record-keeping and the absence of an effective complaints system.  

 

Niamh McCormack, Legal and Public Affairs Manager said: 

“Reports like these shine a light on what is going on behind the prison walls. While overcrowding has been blamed for many of the problems in the prison system in recent years - and while it remains a serious and ongoing concern - many of the issues identified in these reports are well within the control of individual prisons and the Irish Prison Service.”  

 

Mistreatment of Prisoners 

The Mountjoy Prison and Dochás Centre reports, in particular, highlight the scale and severity of some systemic issues. The Mountjoy Prison report documents the use of solitary confinement, including prolonged periods in isolation, and notes the absence of a strategy to reduce reliance on protective or segregated regimes. Inspectors also observed the use of “informal punishment” in the Dóchas Centre and Mountjoy reception areas, raising serious concerns about due process and fair treatment. 

Conditions for prisoners on protection regimes at Mountjoy were especially concerning: some were confined to their cells for more than 22-hours a day in 10m2 of living space, with access to poorly maintained yards offering little or no meaningful activity. Taken together, these practices point to excessively restrictive and punitive regimes that place prisoners at ongoing risk of harm. 

 

Niamh McCormack, Legal and Public Affairs Manager said: 

“The inspection reports reveal concerns of mistreatment of prisoners, including the over-use of discipline and restrictive regimes, solitary confinement, and practices that undermine dignity, safety, and trust. Many of these failings reflect systemic weaknesses, with insufficient safeguards, accountability, or oversight to protect vulnerable people in custody.” 

 

The Dóchas Centre report outlines a particularly concerning ‘lock-back’ regime. The report indicates that it was introduced by management as a way to encourage engagement in purposeful activities and to manage staffing shortages. Instead, it has had the opposite effect, severely restricting women’s access to their own houses during scheduled unlock periods. Women who remained in their rooms during these periods could not use hallways, kitchens, or living areas, and had minimal contact with staff. Those who chose to leave their rooms for the yard or activities were not allowed to return to their houses, including to use toilets, and risked sanctions if they attempted to do so. Following the inspection, the regime was revised to allow limited access to toilets and rooms, but only when staff were available. 

 

Niamh McCormack, Legal and Public Affairs Manager said: 

“Women make up just 4% of the national prison population, and prison environments are traditionally designed by men for the detention of men. As a minority group, it is obvious that their needs are overlooked in the design and management of prisons. The reports highlight recurring concerns, including allegations of inter-prisoner bullying, inappropriate relationships, disrespectful treatment of women by some prison staff, and fears of reprisals if women make complaints against staff.   

She continued: 

Of particular concern is the ‘lock-back’ regime, whereby women were either locked in their cells or in the yard for 3-hour periods. Those who were in the yard were not permitted inside for any reason, even to use the toilet.  It was chilling to read that during the inspection, women banging on doors pleading to be let out of their cells were ignored by staff. Inspectors also witnessed women being locked out during a severe storm, shouting to staff to be let back in, with one woman describing their treatment as being ‘left like rats outside’. While the report notes that changes were made following this incident, there is no clarity provided on what follow-up actions were taken in terms of accountability.” 

She continued:  

“The restrictive lock-back regime, the lack of adequate access to basic sanitary products, and intense management of the small minutiae of daily life described in the report reflect a broader culture of control and infantilisation. The report notes that the women are referred to as “girls” and treated in ways that male prisoners are not, including threats of punishment for things such as standing in doorways or wearing flip-flops outdoors.  

The Dóchas Centre was set-up in 1999 as a prison that would meet the specific needs of women and was regarded as a highly progressive model with women having the keys to their own rooms. These findings illustrate a backsliding in that approach. As the report notes, power relations in prison can be specifically gender-coded in such a way that taps into the vulnerabilities of women who have a history of trauma and abuse.” 

 

 

Unsafe and unsanitary prison conditions  

Niamh McCormack, Legal and Public Affairs Manager said: 

“The inspection reports expose deeply unsafe and unsanitary conditions across the prisons inspected. Findings include serious failures in basic prison maintenance, particularly in relation to sanitation. In one example, an open toilet in a multi-occupancy cell could not be flushed for several days, with prisoners also reporting widespread infestations of vermin and cockroaches. This is clearly degrading and completely unacceptable in a modern prison system. 

The reports also highlight persistent failures in the provision of bedding and clothing, with prisoners left without sufficient bedding or forced to use items that were in poor and unacceptable condition. The Cloverhill inspection report highlights a prisoner who was disciplined for ‘damaging prison property’ because he had allegedly inserted a ripped duvet into a pillow-cover to use it as a pillow. Alongside the lack of basic bedding, this points to a systemic issue of the inconsistent application of disciplinary actions.” 

 

Women at the Dóchas Centre were found to lack adequate access to basic sanitary products, sometimes receiving as few as two pads or tampons per week. In some cases, they were required to request these items from male staff, a needless invasion of privacy that caused embarrassment and highlighted the failure to meet even basic needs. 

 

Accountability Failures: Record Keeping and Complaints.  

The reports reveal a systemic failure of accountability across Irish prisons and a dire need for improved record keeping, particularly regarding the use of force, time out-of-cell and other serious incidents. In Mountjoy Men’s Prison, serious incidents, including a suspected inter-prisoner assault resulting in significant injuries, were minimally recorded, raising questions about the accuracy of IPS assault statistics.  

Cloverhill Prison in particular had inconsistent record-keeping. There was no record of over 700 short term moves to reception which were recorded in the electronic system but not in the manual one. Restricted regime logs failed to capture actual out-of-cell time while incidents of use of force and assaults on staff were not consistently documented. Cork Prison and the Dóchas Centre faced similar deficiencies.  

The reports also reveal a lack of faith in the complaints system with widespread fear of reprisals for raising concerns. In situations where people’s wellbeing and freedom depend entirely on the actions of others, there must be a functional and trusted complaints system.  

 

Speaking on next steps, Ms. McCormack said: 

“While these reports date back to 2022 and 2023, they highlight issues that remain relevant and, in some cases, have worsened. Prison overcrowding has spiraled, with record numbers of people in prison being broken almost daily.  

The Minister must take urgent action to address the prison overcrowding crisis, including placing an enforceable upper limit on the number of persons that can be committed to prisons in Ireland and the introduction of a Supported Bail Service to reduce the numbers of people in remand detention.  

We reiterate our call on the government to pass the Inspection of Places of Detention Bill and ratify the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture (‘OPCAT’) as a matter of urgency to allow for the establishment of fully independent, robust oversight bodies.” 

ENDS  

NOTES FOR EDITORS:  

1. Irish Penal Reform Trust (IPRT) | www.iprt.ie  

IPRT is Ireland's leading non-governmental organisation campaigning for the rights of everyone in prison and the progressive reform of Irish penal policy, with prison as a last resort.  

2. Prison figures: As of Thursday 15 January 2026, Irish prisons were operating at 121 percent capacity, with 5,755 in prison custody with 5615 people sleeping on mattresses on the floor.  

3. Office of the Inspector of Prisons Inspection Report Unannounced General Inspections of The Training Unit & Mountjoy Men’s Prison (28 Nov –9 Dec 2022) available here. 

4. Office of the Inspector of Prisons Inspection Report Unannounced General Inspection of Cork Prison (27 Mar – 5 April 2023) available here. 

5. Office of the Inspector of Prisons Inspection Report Unannounced General Inspection of the Dóchas Centre (19 Sept – 2 Oct 2023) available here. 

6. Office of the Inspector of Prisons Inspection Report Unannounced General Inspection of Cloverhill Prison (15-25 May 2023) available here.