Tánaiste publishes Prison Visiting Committee Reports for 2015

24th June 2016

The Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality, Ms. Frances Fitzgerald TD, today published the 2015 reports of the 14 Prison Visiting Committees. The reports are available here.

The Cloverhill Prison Visiting Committee Annual Report 2015 is the first published report on this prison in some years, and raises a number of serious concerns, including concerns relating to healthcare provision and prisoner safety in yards.

Concerns about healthcare provision are also included in the Midlands Prison Visiting Committee report, while staffing issues, overcrowding, and school closures are among the issues raised in the Dóchas Centre report, in which the Committee recommends an increased use of alternatives to detention for female offenders, and for travel subsidies and longer visits for children travelling long distances to see their mothers.

All of the Visiting Committee reports for 2015 are available here.

A Dept of Justice summary of the 14 annual reports is available here.

Read more:

• Irish Examiner: 'Staff shortages, drugs and inmate violence blight jails'
• RTE.ie: 'Medical service seriously under-staffed at Midlands Prison - report'
• thejournal.ie: 'Irish prisons need to have a better plan for released inmates'
• thejournal.ie: 'Gang culture on the rise in Irish prisons as increasing numbers seek protection'
• Dept of Justice: 'Tánaiste publishes Prison Visiting Committee reports'