High Vaccinations Rates In Irish Prisons But Restrictions Posing Mental Health Problems- IPRT

Family visits and out of cell time have been hit by the pandemic.

There is a high vaccination rate among prisoners in Ireland but the harsh impacts of Covid-19 restrictions in Irish prisons remain a concern, according to the Irish Penal Reform Trust(IPRT).

It is warning that news of the comparatively high vaccination rate among prisoners in Ireland masks the reality that ongoing Covid -19 restrictions in Irish prisons are having.

The IPRT has said restrictions are severely detrimental impact on the mental health, family contact and access to rehabilitative regimes of those imprisoned.

Ireland is one of only 20 countries internationally where more than 80% of the prison population had received at least the first dose of a Covid-19 vaccination by the end of September this year.

However the report found that despite the high rates of vaccination,there was a  lack of clarity and transparency of prison vaccination plans in

Ireland, which comes under scrutiny in the global review.

For example, initial national vaccination plans in Ireland contained no explicit mention of prisons.

The first international review exploring how prisoners and prison staff are included in national vaccination plans has found that Ireland performs well in terms of our prison vaccination rate when compared to many countries.

Commenting on Ireland’s performance in the report, IPRT Executive Director, Fíona Ní Chinnéide stated: “For the approximately 85% of men and women in prison who have been vaccinated, the “vaccine bonus” is not being felt.

"Access to out-of-cell time, education and training, family visits and rehabilitative services continues to be limited almost two years into the pandemic.

“The Minister for Justice acknowledged in the Dáil in recent weeks that keeping people in prison under severe lockdown is not the way forward because we must “live with COVID-19”. We welcome this.

"We cannot accept these ongoing restrictions in prison as part of life with COVID-19,”she insisted.

Ní Chinnéide said that access to open prisons would enable the prison services to deal with covid outbreak IPRT  has called on all criminal justice agencies to place a renewed focus on reducing the prison population to the greatest extent possible.