TJI Welcomes 2026 Prison Ethnicity Census
3rd July 2026
The Traveller Justice Initiative (TJI), hosted by IPRT, welcomes the commitment of the Irish Prison Service (IPS) and the Irish Red Cross to undertake a census of the ethnicity of everyone in custody across the prison estate on 22 July 2026.
The previous prison ethnicity census was conducted in 2018 as part of a wider programme of work led by the TJI to strengthen ethnic data collection within the Irish Prison Service and bring it into line with best practice. This work included the commissioning of the report Ethnic Identifiers in Irish Prisons: Context and Recommended Practice for Improving Data Collection on Travellers and Minority Ethnic Groups in Irish Prisons (2017), the delivery of training to IPS staff by Pavee Point, and the introduction of a commitment by the IPS to record ethnicity both at committal and again during post-committal interviews undertaken by Integrated Sentence Managers.
The 2018 census demonstrated the importance of accurate ethnicity data. The number of people recorded as identifying as Irish Travellers on the Prison Information Management System (PIMS) increased from 217 to 414, representing 10% of the total prison population of 3,988 at that time.
According to Irish Prison Service data for June 2026, 468 people identified as Irish Travellers, representing 8% of the total prison population of 5,924. Given the significant changes in the prison population since 2018 and ongoing concerns regarding the accuracy of ethnicity data, it is timely and appropriate to undertake a further census to ensure that prison records accurately reflect the ethnic identities of those in custody.
Even the current data highlights the stark and persistent over-representation of Irish Travellers within the prison system. While Travellers comprise less than 1% of the general population, they account for approximately one in every twelve people in prison. This disparity reflects wider structural inequalities, including discrimination, poverty, educational disadvantage, poor health outcomes, homelessness, trauma, and unequal access to employment and other opportunities.
Accurate ethnicity data is essential to understanding these inequalities and to informing evidence-based policy and practice. The findings of the 2026 census will support the Irish Prison Service in identifying unmet needs, monitoring equality of outcomes, planning culturally appropriate services, and meeting its obligations under the Public Sector Equality and Human Rights Duty.
They will also strengthen the evidence base for sustained investment in culturally competent prison services, community-based interventions, and Traveller-led organisations working to reduce the over-representation of Travellers in the criminal justice system.
