The Office of the Inspector of Prisons (OIP) has recently completed an unannounced general inspection of Loughan House Open Centre. The inspection took place between 11 and 22 May 2026. All but one of Ireland’s prisons have now received unannounced general inspections as part of the Inspectorate’s programme of regular inspections of all prisons in Ireland. [...]
Over the last three days (20, 21 and 22 May 2026), the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration has authorised the publication of three reports of the Chief Inspector of Prisons, on the deaths in custody of Mr D 2021, Mr A 2022 and Mr J 2022. The report on Mr J 2022 was [...]
The Office of the Inspector of Prisons (OIP) is seeking Expressions of Interests (EOI) to join our Expert Panel. The panel includes experts from across a wide range of relevant disciplines. At present, prison inspections are carried out by the OIP in accordance with A Framework for the Inspection of Prisons in Ireland (2024). Further [...]
Ireland’s statutory prisons inspectorate, the Office of the Inspector of Prisons (OIP) has just completed a full unannounced inspection of Limerick Men’s Prison. The inspection took place between 10 and 20 March 2026. A full unannounced inspection of Limerick Women’s Prison was carried out by the Inspectorate in November 2024, and the Inspectorate also met [...]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE THURSDAY 15th JANUARY - Four newly-published reports on five inspections by Ireland’s Chief Inspector of Prisons paint a stark picture of conditions across the prison system. The reports pinpoint overcrowding as a central driver of degrading living conditions, restricted regimes and curtailed access to healthcare and rehabilitation. The reports describe inspections of [...]
