Intent: To ensure that criminal justice-specific action points contained in the previous suicide reduction strategy will be retained and built upon in the forthcoming strategy. ::That the forthcoming strategy will align with the recommendations of the High Level Taskforce on Mental Health and Addiction ::That the Irish Prison Service (IPS) will develop its own, bespoke suicide prevention and mental wellness strategy or similar
Details: IPRT letter on Suicide Prevention Strategy
Intent: To promote greater investment through Budget 2025 in areas of penal policy and reform. To raise awareness of alternatives to imprisonment and to highlight where investment and resourcing is needed in these areas.
Executive Director attended hustings on child poverty organised by the Children's Rights Alliance on 17 September 2024 in Buswells Hotel. She asked political representatives to support IPRT's Pre-Budget asks and followed up with individual emails. - Event / ReceptionPersonalised emails sent to listed DPOs with IPRT's key asks including increasing mental health and addiction investment 2) piloting a supported bail service for women, 3) redirecting spending to community alternatives, particularly restorative justice 4) adequate resourcing for oversight bodies to prepare for OPCAT ratification 5) investment in programmes and capital investment to enhance family visiting facilities and in-cell telephony and video booths. - Email
Email 11 June and meetings (2) 25 June and 9 July with Carole Sullivan and Catherine McEnri - EmailMeeting 9 May with the Judicial Planning Working Group at the Department of Justice (chaired by Stjohn O'Connor) to discuss the modernisation of criminal legal aid - Meeting
Executive Director signed joint letter with civil society organisations, academics and members of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice to the Minister and Director General of the Irish Prison Service calling on them to reconsider the repurposing of the Progression Unit to accommodate people convicted of sex offences.IPRT Executive Director wrote to Director General of Irish Prison Service to raise concerns about the repurposing of the Progression Unit in Mountjoy. - LetterIPRT Executive Director wrote to Director General of Irish Prison Service to raise concerns about the repurposing of the Progression Unit in Mountjoy. - Letter
Intent: 1) Policy change to allow the small number of Irish people wishing to return to Ireland while on licence from the UK to do so; 2) Improvements to current process to make it quicker and more efficient thus enabling transfers of Irish prisoners back to Ireland close to families; 3) Improvements to the situation of Foreign National prisoners in Irish prisons.
Details: 1) Seeking to progress current situation regarding Irish people released on licence in UK; 2) Seeking to progress the repatriation of Irish prisoners overseas wishing to return to Ireland; 3) Discussing recent research on Foreign National Prisoners in Irish prisons by Maynooth University in partners, ...
One letter sent by Bishop Paul Dempsey, Chair, ICPO to An Taoiseach and one reply letter received from the Taoiseach's office. - LetterTwo e-mails from Mr Thomas Pringle TD with responses from the Minister for Justice to a PQ he had asked on behalf of ICPO - recorded in last Lobbying period). - EmailTwo virtual meetings held on Zoom. Meetings were had with Ms Caron McCaffrey and other officials from the Irish Prison Service and with Mr Ben Ryan from the Department of Justice and other officials attended. - Virtual Meeting
Intent: Seeking contract as previously agreed for Traveller Justice Initiative funding.Inform Irish Prison Service that the Traveller Justice Initiative is moving to IPRT.
Details: Funding & Information regarding Traveller Justice Initiative
1.Seeking contract as previously agreed for Traveller Justice Initiative. Contract was signed and grant received.2. To inform Irish Prison Service that Traveller Justice Initiative moving to IPRT. - Email
Intent: Advance the mechanism to address professional fees
Details: Mechanism to address professional fees paid to barristers who practice in criminal law by the Director of Public Prosecutions and under the Criminal Justice (Legal Aid) Scheme.
Intent: Funding for two programmes for people with a criminal past to support reintegration and reduce recidivism.
Details: Request for support and funding for community photography project involving former prisoners and employment support programme in partnership with Oberstown Centre.
Followed up after initial meeting with an email to share programme details and brief. - EmailMet with Irish Prison Service Team on Microsoft Teams. - Virtual Meeting
Saoirse Brady, Executive Director of IPRT, submitted IPRT's observations on the IPS Drugs Strategy to Caron McCaffrey, Director General of the IPS. - Email
On return from maternity leave in Sept 2023, IPRT's Executive Director, Saoirse Brady, met with the Director General of the Irish Prison Service, Caron McCaffrey, on 26 Sept 2023, to discuss key penal reform priorities such as: the situation of overcrowding in the prison system, potential plans to expand the prison estate, plans to improve family contact, and resourcing of addiction and mental health supports in prison. - Meeting
