Lobbying Records (Page 1 of 6)
Irish Penal Reform Trust
2025-01-21
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.
Details: IPRT Pre-Budget Submission 2025 asks
Officials: Jack Chambers, Helen McEntee, Paschal Donohoe, Darragh O'Brien, Patrick Costello, Mark Ward, Catherine Murphy, Pearse Doherty, ...
Methods: Personalised 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, 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 / Reception
Law Society of Ireland
Current/Former DPOWhat is lobbying? (FAQ)2024-09-21
Intent: Contribute to the design and development of the criminal legal aid scheme.
Details: Meeting to discuss the modernisation of legal aid with the Department of Justice
Officials: Stjohn O'Connor, Carole Sullivan, Marion Berry, Helena Kiely, Caron McCaffrey, Audrey Leonard
Methods: Email 11 June and meetings (2) 25 June and 9 July with Carole Sullivan and Catherine McEnri - Email, Meeting 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
Irish Penal Reform Trust
Current/Former DPOWhat is lobbying? (FAQ)2024-09-20
Intent: Reconsider the repurposing of the Progression Unit in Mountjoy
Details: Joint open letter on repurposing of the Progression Unit in Mountjoy
Officials: Helen McEntee, Caron McCaffrey
Methods: 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. - Letter, IPRT Executive Director wrote to Director General of Irish Prison Service to raise concerns about the repurposing of the Progression Unit in Mountjoy. - Letter
Irish Episcopal Conference
2024-09-19
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, ...
Officials: Simon Harris, Thomas Pringle, Caron McCaffrey, Ben Ryan
Methods: One letter sent by Bishop Paul Dempsey, Chair, ICPO to An Taoiseach and one reply letter received from the Taoiseach's office. - Letter, Two 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, Two 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). - Email
St Stephen's Green Trust
2024-09-16
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
Officials: Caron McCaffrey
Methods: 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
Council of The Bar of Ireland
2024-09-05
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.
Officials: Catherine Pierse, Marion Berry, Oonagh McPhillips, John O'Callaghan, Carole Sullivan, Caron McCaffrey
Methods: Meetings with members of the Oireachtas Justice Committee - Meeting, Letter
The Open Doors Initiative
2024-05-15
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.
Officials: Caron McCaffrey, Emma Regan, Simon Harris, Roderic O'Gorman
Methods: Met with Irish Prison Service Team on Microsoft Teams. - Virtual Meeting, Followed up after initial meeting with an email to share programme details and brief. - Email
Irish Penal Reform Trust
2024-01-19
Intent: To convey IPRT's views on IPS policy re keeping drugs out of prisons.
Details: Submission to the IPS re IPS Drugs Strategy 2023-2026
Officials: Caron McCaffrey
Methods: Saoirse Brady, Executive Director of IPRT, submitted IPRT's observations on the IPS Drugs Strategy to Caron McCaffrey, Director General of the IPS. - Email
Irish Penal Reform Trust
2024-01-19
Intent: To discuss key penal reform priorities for IPRT and get updates on key penal reform developments where possible
Details: Meeting with Irish Prison Service Director General to discuss IPRT penal reform priorities
Officials: Caron McCaffrey
Methods: 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
Council of The Bar of Ireland
2024-01-19
Intent: Raise awareness of the withdrawal to services to secure a meaningful, independent and time-limited mechanism to determine the fees payable to barristers by the Director of Public Prosecutions and under the Criminal Justice (Legal Aid) Scheme.
Details: Professional Fees paid to barristers who practice in criminal law by the Director of Public Prosecutions and under the Criminal Justice (Legal Aid) Scheme.
Officials: Caron McCaffrey, Oonagh McPhillips
Methods: Letter