Mental illness in the context of prison must be viewed as a health issue requiring an effective and prompt health intervention, including diversion to appropriate treatment services outside prison. However, people with mental health issues continue to enter the prison system due to a lack of access to appropriate mental health services in the community.
This section includes posts on issues relating to mental health in prison and the wider criminal justice system. If you are looking for general health-related information, click here.
26th November 2021
This invitation to tender is now *CLOSED*. Please do not submit tenders as they will not be considered.
21st November 2021
A new report by Advance details the findings of their research on diverting women from the criminal justice system, and some key recommendations. It also explains the work of the Women's Diversion Service, whose goal is to allow women to address the circumstances that led them to commit offences.
15th November 2021
MEDIA ADVISORY: IPRT endorses the findings and recommendations of the new Mental Health Commission report on 'Access to Mental Health Services for People in the Criminal Justice System’ and calls on the Minister for Health and the Minister for Justice to commit to resourcing the implementation of the recommendations in full.
15th November 2021
This report highlights the “gaps in Irish mental health services which lead to mentally ill people ending up in prison,” the conditions for mentally ill people in prison, and the lack of capacity in the Central Mental Hospital (CMH).
12th November 2021
IPRT summarises the recommendations relating to the work of IPRT made by States during the review, following the adoption and publication of the Draft Report on Friday 12th November.
10th November 2021
PRESS NOTICE: Ireland’s human rights record, including its failure to ratify international human rights treaties and its treatment of people in prison, will be examined by the UN Human Rights Council Working Group as part of Ireland’s third Universal Period Review (UPR) from 13.30 today.
4th October 2021
IPRT was among the signatories of an open letter, coordinated by Mental Health Reform, calling on the Taoiseach and the Irish Government to prioritise funding for mental health services in the upcoming budget.
20th August 2021
Barry Lenihan reports on capacity issues facing the Central Mental Hospital (CMH), speaking to Prof Harry Kennedy and IPRT’s Molly Joyce.
29th July 2021
IPRT presented our initial observations on the Terms of Reference of the High Level Task Force to consider the mental health and addiction challenges of persons interacting with the criminal justice system on Thursday 29 July.
13th April 2021
MEDIA ADVISORY: IPRT response to the third annual Self-Harm Assessment and Data Analysis (SADA) report, which showed an overall decrease in the number of recorded cases of self-harm in prisons in Ireland in 2019, but rising rates among certain cohorts.
Respect for rights in the penal system with prison as a last resort.