The Progress in the Penal System (PIPS) project was initiated as a three-year Irish Penal Reform Trust (IPRT) project in 2016. It has since continued as an annual project that benchmarks reform across the penal system. PIPS aims to set out a clear vision for the future of the penal system in Ireland, taking as its starting point that as a small wealthy country, Ireland should work towards becoming a leading model of international best penal practice. From the outset, the overall purpose of PIPS has been to promote and assess progress across a broad range of issues in Ireland’s penal system, guided by a set of 35 standards.
In its first year, PIPS 2017 set out the guiding principles and values of penal reform. Informed by international human rights standards and best practice, 35 standards were created. Clear rationales were outlined as to why these standards were important. Indicators were also put forth to make an assessment of the standards on an annual basis, with short-term actions identified for improvement in the 35 areas.
PIPS 2018 focused on the important role of a number of ‘changemakers’ in reducing the prison population. These included: the judiciary, the Probation Service, as well as other stakeholders such as departmental bodies including Education, Health and Housing. PIPS 2018 spotlighted three issues where IPRT believed urgent action was required: mental health, staffing, and the distinct needs of women in the criminal justice system.
In its third year, PIPS 2019 places a strong a focus on accountability in the penal system – the thread of accountability runs through all of its 35 standards. The need to strengthen two core pillars of a robust accountability framework emerges: the further publication of criminal justice data and research; and independent reports from inspection and monitoring bodies. PIPS 2019 again spotlights the standard of mental health (where there has been little change to 2018), along with prison healthcare and the complaints system. There is an online interactive version of PIPS 2019 available here.
PIPS 2020 takes a different approach to previous years due to the impact of COVID-19. PIPS 2020 seeks to capture the positive reforms that have been implemented in response to the pandemic, reflect on how these reforms were achieved, and outline the longer-term benefits to wider society so that these progressive reforms will be retained into the future. We focus on 12 standards across focus on four thematic areas: penal policy; prison conditions and regimes; prison health and mental health; and accountability. There is an online interactive version of PIPS 2020 available here.
While remaining committed to the achievement of all 35 standards, the fifth edition of PIPS, PIPS 2021, focuses on 13 interacting standards that track a person’s journey through the penal system, from the point of imprisonment through to release.carries out a reflective exercise under one unified theme: The Need for Transparency in the Penal System.
In this sixth edition of PIPS, the PIPS 2022 report reflects on the past six years of monitoring the Irish penal system – the progress made, the areas where little change has been effected, and the issues about which we still have a limited understanding due to a lack of data. A specific 'spotlight' was shone on women in the penal system. PIPS 2022 reviews 28 of the 35 standards that have become synonymous with PIPS.
'Progress in the Penal System: A framework for penal reform (2022)' is the sixth in a series of annual reports benchmarking progress in Ireland's penal system.
Progress in the Penal System 2021 (or 'PIPS 2021'), the fifth in a series of annual reports benchmarking progress in Ireland's penal system.
The fourth edition of Progress in the Penal System necessarily took a different approach than in previous years, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The third in a series of annual reports providing a comprehensive report on human rights and best practice in Ireland’s penal system.
The second a series of three annual reports providing a comprehensive report on human rights and best practice in Ireland’s penal system.
The 'PIPS' report is the first in a series of three annual reports providing a comprehensive report on human rights and best practice in Ireland’s penal system.
Respect for rights in the penal system with prison as a last resort.