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The pandemic has exposed failings in Ireland\u2019s prison service, including overrun capacity and a lack of access to technology for prisoners, a report has found.<\/p>\nThe pandemic has exposed failings in Ireland\u2019s prison service, including overrun capacity and a lack of access to technology for prisoners, a report has found.<\/p>\n
Covid-19 measures were introduced in Irish prisons last year to prevent the spread of the virus, including a reduction in prisoner numbers and cell-sharing.<\/p>\n
The Irish Penal Reform Trust (IPRT) said that addressing the overcrowding in prisons in a short period of time was an \u201cextraordinary achievement\u201d.<\/p>\n
Before the outbreak of the pandemic, 75 prisoners were sleeping on mattresses on the floor because of a lack of space.<\/p>\n
A report carried out by the IPRT found that coronavirus measures improved some standards within prisons.<\/p>\n
The report \u2013 Progress in the Penal System: Assessing progress during a pandemic \u2013 is the fourth annual review of standards in Irish prisons.<\/p>\n
It found that the Covid response revealed that the majority of closed prisons across the State were \u201covercrowded and unsafe\u201d.<\/p>\n
At the outset of Covid-19, there were more than 4,200 prisoners in custody in Ireland.<\/p>\n
Following the outbreak of the pandemic, the Irish Prison Service and the Department of Justice reduced the prison population by 10% to 3,807.<\/p>\n
Executive director of the IPRT, Fiona Ni Chinneide, said the physical improvements in the prison system are at risk of being reversed.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe definitely don\u2019t want to see a return to that when the courts return and deal with the backlog in cases,\u201d she told PA news agency.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere were sometimes two prisoners sleeping on beds and one on the floor.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t want to see a return to the high number of people who are committed to prison for very short sentences.<\/p>\n
\u201cOver three quarters of sentence committals in 2019 were for sentences of 12 months or less.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is the clearest demonstration of the over-reliance on prison as a response.\u201d<\/p>\n
She said an increasing number of prisoners\u2019 families have contacted the charity about concerns for their loved ones in prison, particularly around isolation, mental health and welfare issues.<\/p>\n
\u201c(Prisoners) are confident they are protected against Covid-19 but the lack of in-person visits have been very difficult for families, particularly children,\u201d Ms Ni Chinneide added.<\/p>\n
\u201cCovid-19 has exposed all the issues across the penal system, including running over-capacity and the lack of access to technology.<\/p>\n
\u201cVideo calls were introduced but we would like to see every prisoner have a tablet so they can continue on with their remote education.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe vast majority of people who were released were serving sentences of 12 months or less, and the fact they could be released into the community does beg the question: why were they in prison in the first place and not serving community service orders?\u201d<\/p>\n
She also said that a reduced prison population saw a near-end to prisoners sleeping on mattresses on floors and a move towards single-cell occupancy.<\/p>\n
\u201cSingle-cell occupancy is a key measure in supporting men\u2019s and women\u2019s dignity in prisons,\u201d Ms Ni Chinneide added.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Covid response demonstrates that the majority of closed prisons across the State were overcrowded and unsafe in the first instance. It also suggests that prison was not a necessary sanction for all of those imprisoned before the pandemic hit.\u201d<\/p>\n
The IPRT report also welcomed the introduction of video calls and in-cell phone provisions to enable prisoners to speak to their families.<\/p>\n
Ms Ni Chinneide said the changes are at risk of being reversed as the courts prepare to clear the backlog of cases.<\/p>\n
\u201cFurthermore, in recent years, the number of those held on remand in our prisons is rising at a concerning level. Imprisonment is not the only sentence option in the criminal justice system,\u201d Ms Ni Chinneide added.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt should not act as shelter for people charged with low level offences. It should not be a waiting room for those who need treatment in our Central Mental Hospital.<\/p>\n
\u201cCovid has offered us a brown-field site for a more humane penal system. There should be no reversal of that.\u201d<\/p>\n