8th August 2012
The Minister for Justice and Equality today published a new report, Suggested Prisoner Complaints Model for Irish Prisons, which was submitted by the Inspector of Prisons on 26th March 2012.
On its publication, IPRT gave a cautious welcome to the proposals included in the report. IPRT believes that the best model for independent investigation of complaints is a Prisoner Ombudsman (as exists in Northern Ireland). However, regardless of the model chosen, the key substantive test is whether the system is independent of prison management and whether it enjoys the confidence of the prison population - the Inspector of Prison’s recommendations contain all of the necessary elements for a robust and effective complaints process. If the new complaints system achieves that standard, then it will represent a major step forward for the Irish prison system and for prisoners’ rights.
The report can be downloaded here.
Read more:
Respect for rights in the penal system with prison as a last resort.