Irish Penal Reform Trust

Intent: Support for IPRT key priorities including expansion of community-based sanctions, ratification of the Optional Protocol to the Convention Against Torture and use of prison as a last resort.

Methods: Email

Intent: To obtain a meeting and secure support for greater use of community-based sanctions, a bail supervision scheme for women and other key IPRT priority asks including ratification of the Optional Protocol to the Convention Against Torture

Methods: Informal communication, Email

Intent: To stress the need to ensure that both the grounds of socio-economic status and criminal convictions history are included in the amended Equal Status Acts as grounds of discrimination.

Methods: Informal communication

Intent: To reiterate the request that the OIP conduct a thematic inspection on Irish Travellers in prison and to urge the Inspectorate to submit its inspection reports as soon as possible to the Minister for publication pending the enactment of the Inspection of Places of Detention Bill under which the Chief Inspector should be able to publish their own reports.

Methods: Meeting

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

Methods: Letter

Intent: Progress legislation for increased use of community-based sanctions, prioritise the passage of the Inspection of Places of Detention Bill, implement the recommendations of the High Level Taskforce on Mental Health and Addiction, implement recommendations of Oireachtas Joint Committee on Drugs Use and establish the Penal Consultative Council. ::Also invited Minister to give a keynote address at IPRT 30 year anniversary event and sought a meeting to discuss priorities in more detail.

Methods: Letter, Event / Reception, Informal communication

Intent: To ensure that the Programme for Government reflected IPRT's six key priority asks including prioritising non-custodial sanctions and alternatives to prison, ratifying OPCAT and establishing a National Preventive Mechanism, developing a Whole of Government Strategy for Rehabilitation and Reintegration, enhance coherency and transparency in sentencing, addressing mental health and addiction and supporting children and families impacted by imprisonment.

Methods: Email

Intent: Implementation of the Prison Overcrowding Response Group recommendations and to inform the work of the Future of Prison Capacity Working Group to address the prison overcrowding crisis and implement existing progressive policy particularly around reducing the number of people imprisoned for short periods and refocus resources on community-based alternatives and preventative measures.

Methods: Letter, Phone call, Meeting, Submission

Intent: To ensure that the Programme for Government reflected IPRT's six key priority asks including prioritising non-custodial sanctions and alternatives to prison, ratifying OPCAT and establishing a National Preventive Mechanism, developing a Whole of Government Strategy for Rehabilitation and Reintegration, enhance coherency and transparency in sentencing, addressing mental health and addiction and supporting children and families impacted by imprisonment.

Methods: Email, Event / Reception

Intent: Seeking IPRT’s election priorities to be reflected in party manifestos and prioritised in election campaigning. The asks, focused on criminal justice and penal policy, aim to shift the dial away from reactive measures and instead focus on proactive, clear, evidence-informed solutions to offending.

Methods: Email, Meeting, Event / Reception