IPRT backs criticism of prison overcrowding
The Irish Penal Reform Trust (IPRT) has welcomed the clear recommendations issued by the UN Committee on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) following of Ireland’s record on women’s rights in Geneva.
The review dovetails with many points made by IPRT on women in detention and the wider criminal-justice system.
Measures
Executive director Saoirse Brady said that IPRT welcomed the call for effective measures to address overcrowding in women's prisons and ensure that detention conditions met international standards.
This urgent call to action was particularly timely given that the two women’s prisons were again two of the most overcrowded in the State, she said.
Brady stated that it was unacceptable that, at times, Traveller women represented one in four women in detention, when Irish Travellers made up less than 1% of the general population.
There are currently 5,472 people in prison custody with the Dóchas Centre in Dublin, which is operating at 129% capacity, and Limerick Women’s Prison is operating at 155%.