On average, women make up around 3.8% of the prison population, with a large number of committals concerning non-violent offences. Additionally, the majority are detained on short-term sentences. However, the impact of even short-term imprisonment on these women and their families is profound. The economic and social costs to society at large arising from the imprisonment of women are also significant.
In 2021, there were 487 women committed to prison, compared to 155 in 1999. The rate of female prison committals has risen more rapidly than for males since 2011. In addition, there continues to be significant numbers of women imprisoned for failing to pay court-ordered fines, despite the Fines (Payment and Recovery Act) 2014 which came into operation in January 2016. In 2021, 8% of female committals to prison were for non-payment of court-ordered fines – double the comparable figure for men (4%).
Major concerns remain in relation to overcrowding in both of the country’s female prisons – the Dóchas Centre and a female wing in Limerick Prison. The detention of women for immigration-related reasons is also a concern for IPRT. IPRT remains committed to working towards major policy change in relation to imprisonment of women in Ireland, with a central focus on the provision of alternatives to detention and open prison provision for women.
4th December 2017
Prison Reform Trust (2017) “There’s a reason we’re in trouble” Domestic abuse as a driver to women’s offending.
9th November 2017
The Institute for Criminal Research published the fourth edition of the World Female Imprisonment List, providing a comprehensive report on the number of women and girls in penal institutions worldwide.
1st October 2017
'Hearing Their Voices' Traveller Women in Prison is a report on the experiences of Traveller women in the Irish prison system. This report is one of the key outputs from the three year Travellers in Prison Initiative which is led by St Stephen’s Green Trust and supported by the Irish Prison and Probation Services. The report not only gives us valuable insights into the prison experiences of Traveller women in Ireland, it also gives us an insight into their lives and their pathways into prison.
14th May 2017
Article on imprisonment of women in Ireland by Cathal McMahon.
3rd May 2017
IPRT welcomes the publication of the government's National Strategy for Women and Girls 2017-2020 on 3rd May 2017.
4th April 2017
Women in Prison have produced a new report, ‘Corston +10’ on the tenth anniversary of the publication of the original ‘Corston Report'.
28th March 2017
UK Prisons and Probation Ombudsman Nigel Newcomen has highlighted a “lack of concerted and sustained action” following a rise in the number of suicides among female prisoners.
17th March 2017
Discussion paper by Dr. Thomas Guiney and Jenny Earle that provides solutions, and examples of positive initiatives being delivered by police forces to tackle low level, non-violent crime committed by women, in the UK.
14th February 2017
ADVISORY: IPRT has raised Ireland's unequal treatment of women within the criminal justice system with U.N. CEDAW.
13th February 2017
IPRT made a submission in advance of the examination of Ireland’s combined sixth and seventh periodic reports under CEDAW in January 2017.
Respect for rights in the penal system with prison as a last resort.