The Irish Prison Service has said that it is conducting a full review of the 2007 Prison Rules. The Prison Rules set out the regulations with regard to the various conditions in Irish prisons.
They also cover admission, registration, accommodation, visiting rights, health, discipline, and education.
The IPS say that the Rules also include specific guidance on the role of the Prison Governor, the role of Prison Officers and the operation of regimes and services within prisons on a daily basis.
Members of the public who wish to contribute their views or opinions on the operation of prisons are being encouraged to so through a public consultation process that can be accessed on the Department of Justice website or by emailing their submissions to prisonrulesreview@irishprisons.ie
The Irish Prison Service further note that the revision concerns rules on the treatment of women prisoners, foreign nationals, as well as the use of special high security or safety measures such as the separation of prisoners from other inmates, solitary confinement, instruments of restraint, the need to ensure adequate levels in prison staff, inspection and independent monitoring.
Figures released by the Irish Penal Reform Trust in July 2021 showed that the daily average number of female offenders in custody rose by 29% in the ten-year period between 2006 and 2016. However, the IPRT also found that the average number of females in custody in 2020 was 148, a 12.9% decrease on the 2019 average of 170.
With respect to the treatment of women, significant controversy has arisen in recent years with the introduction of a process permitting the admission of biological males to what were once women only prisons and detention facilities.
According to a report from the Office of the Inspector of Prisons published last month:
“The experience of imprisonment for the (trans) women concerned does not align with the general population experience; this does not comport with Yogyakarta Principle 9 which requires that protective measures involve no greater restriction of their rights than is experienced by the general prison population.”
The inspectorate also called on the Irish Prison Service to “develop, in partnership with relevant civil society organisations, transgender people in prison and other relevant stakeholders, a national policy regarding the safe custody of transgender women and men”.
The Irish Prison Service say the review aims to ensure that the revised Prison Rules reflect the changing nature of European penology law.
In 2020, the average cost of an “available, staffed prison space” was €80,445 per prisoner.