
Ireland
Capital city — Dublin
Country population
i01/01/2023/ Council of Europe, SPACE I Report 2023, table 3.Type of government
Human Development Index
0.955(2/188)
iHomicide rate (per 100,000 inhabitants)
iName of authority in charge of the pris…
Total number of incarcerated people
i31/05/2024Incarceration rate (per 100,000 inhabit…
i31/05/2024Average length of imprisonment (in mont…
i2022/ Council of Europe, SPACE I Report 2023, table 31.Prison density
i31/05/2024Total number of prison facilities
i2024An NPM has been established
Female prisoners
i31/05/2024Incarcerated minors
i31/01/2023/ Council of Europe, SPACE I Report 2023, table 6.Percentage of untried prisoners
i31/05/2024Death penalty is abolished
Prison Life Index
The evaluations measure the violations of prisoner rights by the State. They are based on extensive desk research and expert evaluations. Please refer to the methodology to find out how the Prison Life Index data is collected, sorted, and aggregated.
The data and information for Ireland were collected between January 2023 and June 2023.
Eating, sleeping, showering
Food
People in prison have access to drinking water
People in prison have access to food
People in prison have access to drinking water and food prepared within the facility.
Dinner is usually served around 4 p.m., which is earlier than the usual hours. As a result, people in prison wait up to 16 hours between dinner and breakfast. They are allowed to buy a limited range of food items at the prison commissary.
Accommodation
People in prison have sufficient living space
People in prison can sleep in good conditions
The premises are in good condition, clean and accessible
There is no minimum standard for living space set in the national regulations. During its visit in 2019, the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture considered that if “the cellular accommodation in the prisons visited can generally be considered of a good standard for prisoners held in a single occupancy cell, (…) it is less good in multiple-occupancy cells (…)” In October 2022, the Irish Prison Service reported that 2,231 out of 4,254 people were held in multiple occupancy cells. Multiple occupancy cells are not always originally conceived to hold more than one person. Cloverhill remand facility, where most of the people awaiting trial are detained, tends to be chronically overcrowded. Some individuals sleep on additional mattresses placed on the floor. Overcrowding can be locally observed in other facilities.
The premises are generally clean: in every facility, several persons are designated to undertake the cleaning tasks. The general condition of the building may vary. The Irish Penal Reform Trusts notes issues regarding accessibility for persons with disabilities.
Personal hygiene
Adequate sanitary facilities allow people in prison to maintain their personal hygiene
People in prison have access to personal hygiene products
People in prison have access to clothing
Sanitary facilities are mostly accessible, but the installations lack privacy. In 2022, the Irish Prison System reported that 50.3% of the prison population had to use the toilets in the presence of others due to the absence of fully partitioned toilet facilities in multiple occupancy cells. 0.7% of the people in prison, mainly in Portlaoise prison, do not have toilet facilities in their cells. They have access to a bucket when they cannot use the outside toilets, and they manually empty it when the cells are open during the day. Privacy issues are also observed in communal shower facilities lacking curtains. Some persons face difficulties in accessing regularly the showers, such as those isolated in restricted regime who might not have access to the showers for several days in a row.
People in prison have access to toilet articles free of charge. They can wear their own clothes. When needed, the prison administration provides them with clothes appropriate to the temperature.
Medical care
Preventive framework
A disease transmission risk reduction programme is in place
People in prison have access to health awareness and information programmes
Screening programmes make it possible to diagnose people with contagious diseases
Equipment and infrastructures limiting the risk of disease and infection transmission are available
Vaccination programmes are organised
People in prison receive a medical examination upon admission
General health care
Access to general health care is quick and consistent
Health workers are qualified and independent
Adequate health infrastructures are available
Mental health and dental care
Access to mental health and dental care is quick and consistent
Mental health and dental care workers are qualified and independent
Adequate mental health and dental care infrastructures are available
Care for people with specific needs
People experiencing gender transition can access the necessary care
Elderly people can access the necessary care
Children can access the necessary care
Women can access the necessary care
People with communicable diseases can access the necessary care
People with addictions can access the necessary care
People with mental illnesses or psychiatric disorders can access the necessary care
People with physical disabilities can the access necessary care
Continuity of care
People in prison can continue the health care or treatments started before admission
An individual medical file is opened upon admission and is accessible to the patient
Being protected
Legal safeguards
People in prison can access legal assistance
People in prison are able to notify a third party in the event of detention, transfer, serious illness or injury
Each person in prison has a confidential file in the official, complete and up-to-date registers
People in prison have access to the internal regulations of the facility they are held in
In Ireland, people in prison benefit from the legal safeguards identified by the Prison Life Index. Occasional violations are noted. No systematic official service of interpretation is provided to foreign nationals. Informal accommodation is provided, by an officer or an incarcerated person translating, for example. This leads to varying situations of discrimination across the country.
Each person entering detention is provided with a pack containing, amongst other things, a booklet with limited information especially regarding their rights. Persons with disabilities or who cannot read have to rely on the help of others to access this information.
Every person in prison has the right to meet with their lawyer when they ask for it. The actual implementation of this right is not always met. Lawyers can encounter difficulties in accessing their client, due to the unavailability of prison officers to facilitate the visits.
Each person in prison has an up-to-date confidential record held in the official registers, containing important information including the length of their sentence. Some errors in the maintenance of registers have been identified. In July 2021, a court ruling led to the recalculation of 50 people’s sentences.
Physical and psychological integrity
There is a comprehensive preventive and protective framework
The disciplinary system set out by public regulation is proportionate and appropriate
The different categories of people in prison are placed in separate facilities or wards
The working and training conditions of prison staff contribute to the preventive framework
The preventive framework is effective
People in prison are not subjected to physical harm
Discipline is enforced in a proportionate way
People in prison are not subjected to abusive, cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment
Most persons awaiting trial are held in Cloverhill Remand prison (Dublin). Those who are held in other facilities are not systematically separated from people serving sentences. Women are held in Mountjoy Female prison (Dublin) also known as the Dochàs center and in a specific wing of Limerick prison (currently under renovation).
People in prison that are considered at risk are isolated in specific cells from 19 to 23 hours a day (Article 63, Prison rules. This placement is often on a voluntary basis. People in prison request it on grounds of protection. This restricted regime prevents isolated persons from participating in most of the activities offered in any prison. They can also be isolated on grounds of order (Article 62), for medical reasons (Article 64) or for disciplinary reasons (Article 67). The majority of isolation cases is done on the ground of Article 63. There are staffing issues due to high demand for prison escort. This shortage leads to the regular suspension of various activities (cultural, educational, visits of lawyers) that are not deemed essential to security.
Members of the surveillance staff must follow a training course on “safe, secure and humane custody”. The higher certificate in Arts in Custodial Care is delivered jointly by the Irish Prison Service and the South East Technological University. Training updates are not regular nor systematic.
Complaint, appeal and inspection measures
Inspection mechanisms are in place
Internal or administrative inspections are carried out regularly by the central administration
External inspections are regularly carried out by independent bodies
The complaint and appeal mechanisms are effective
In the event of an offense committed against a person in prison, the response of the institution is effective
People in prison, their legal assistance or their loved ones can file a complaint
To this day, Ireland has not ratified the Optional Protocol for the Convention against Torture. The country does not have a National Preventive Mechanism. Two types of external inspection mechanisms co-exist in Ireland: the Office of the Inspectorate of Prisons and the Prison Visiting Committees. Both institutions are classified by the Irish Prison Service as independent prison monitoring mechanisms. They do not, however, have the means to effectively conduct their tasks as inspection mechanisms. The publication of their reports is subject to the approval of the Department of Justice. Their resources are insufficient. The members of the Prison Visiting Committees are appointed by the Department of Justice through a process that is not transparent. Until very recently, the Office of the Inspector of Prisons did not produce reports of a comprehensive nature. The reports from the Prison Visiting Committees vary in length, quality and scope of investigation from prison to prison.
A complaint system exists for people in prison. In 2019, the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture deemed that this system “could not be considered fit for purpose in all cases”.
Being active
Work
Every person in prison can access a job
People in prison who work receive equitable remuneration and are free to use at least part of their earnings
People in prison work in good conditions
People in prison have access to a diverse range of qualifying jobs that are not more dangerous or arduous than work outside the prison
Work is defined as all the tasks carried out by people in prison within the facility and for the prison’s operational functioning, such as running the laundry, cooking, cleaning, gardening (Article 28, Prison Rule). People in prison are not allowed to be employed nor paid by external entities.
The opportunity to access to work depends on people’s detention regime and the length of their sentence. Persons under more restrictive regimes are not offered any job. The offer varies from prison to prison. It is frequent for people in prison to wait several months before being offered a job.
Workers receive an increase in the daily allowance(gratuity) provided to all incarcerated people. This amount does not exceed €3.50 per week in any case. No other salary is paid.
Working days can last up to eight hours. People in prison have at least one day of rest per week.
Training and education
People in prison have access to vocational training
People in prison have access to education
The provision of vocational training varies across the country. Most training programmes are not recognised by accredited qualifications.
People in prison have good access to educational training, particularly second level education, with a wide range of subjects. Third level education is harder to access.
Staffing problems have a major impact on both vocational and educational training, resulting in frequent cancellation of classes. People with disabilities or those under restrictive regimes are excluded from training due to mobility or security reasons.
Cultural, sporting and spiritual activities
People in prison spend at least one hour per day in the open air
People in prison have access to recreational and cultural activities
People in prison have access to a library
People in prison can participate in recreational and cultural activities
People in prison have access to physical and sporting activities
People in prison can practice their spirituality
People in prison generally spend at least one hour a day in the open air.
Libraries are easily accessible, either through direct access or through an officer’s guidance. There is a lack of accessible books for disabled and foreign persons. Cultural activities are offered but are infrequent. They are heavily impacted by staffing problems, and regularly cancelled. People in prison have access to gyms and outdoor equipment. People under restrictive regimes cannot take part in cultural and sporting activities. People with disabilities also have difficulties accessing them.
People in prison can practice their religion. A chaplaincy service is provided in all facilities, but some positions are often vacant. Chaplains provide “pastoral and spiritual care to any prisoners who wish to avail of the service”. People in prison can also directly consult a representative of their religious community. This process is more difficult for members of religious minorities, for whom the waiting time is longer.
Being connected
Connection to loved ones
People in prison can correspond in writing with their loved ones
People in prison can talk with their loved ones on the phone
People in prison can receive visitors
People in prison may be granted temporary leave to visit their loved ones
Measures are in place to guarantee the best interests of children of an incarcerated parent
The normative framework is in compliance with international standards regarding the right to correspond in writing, to call one’s loved ones, to receive visitors and to be granted temporary leave.
In practice, the right to receive visitors is subject to violations. Booking visits is hard, especially in the bigger prisons such as Midlands (Portlaoise), Mountjoy (Dublin) and Limerick prisons. The availability of visit slots during the evenings or the weekends is scarce. In Mountjoy prison, the Prison Visiting Committee reported in 2019 that people in prison’ families had been subjected to degrading treatment at the moment of entering the facility. The conditions of visiting rooms vary greatly across the territory. Hygiene, privacy and suitability for visiting children remain insufficient in several facilities. In Cloverhill Remand prison and Mountjoy prison (Dublin), some persons in prison are separated from their loved ones by a screen during visits.
People in prison have the right to be granted temporary release for compelling family reasons or for other reasons. The decision to grant this release lies with the prison governors. Reasons for rejection can be unclear or perceived as arbitrary.
Children can stay with their mothers in prison until up to twelve months of age according to the Rule 17 of the Irish Prison Rules. In practice, children and their mothers are admitted only in the Mother and Baby unit of the Dochàs center of Mountjoy Female Prison (Dublin), one of the two facilities where women can be detained in Ireland. Women held in the Limerick prison that are allowed to stay with their children must be transferred to Dublin.
Connection to society
People in prison have access to information and various media
People in prison who have retained their right to vote may vote
People in prison have access to information mainly through in-cell television, newspapers and the radio. The television is free of charge. Newspapers can be received through paid subscription and radio bought directly through the prison commissary.
All people in prison in Ireland retain their right to vote. The 2006 Electoral (Amendment) Act allowed people in prison to cast their ballots by postal vote. Before the introduction of this measure, only persons on temporary release or parole could vote. Despite this evolution that effectively allows every people in prison to vote, their participation in general elections is considerably lower than the general participation.