Some prisoners with a disability feel they are "punished" simply for their condition, while others report they are bullied by fellow inmates.

The bulk of closed prisons are operating at unsafe levels, raising the risk of violence, according to penal reformers.

The number of people being sentenced to prison – in the main for relatively short sentences – needs to be “urgently reduced” before overcrowding levels become “unsustainable”, penal reformers have said.

A group representing the families of murder and manslaughter victims has called on the Government to bring about changes that would mean killers are not eligible for parole until their minimum sentence has been served.

Penal reformers have welcomed the massive drop in people being jailed for non-payment of court fines — but are concerned at the rise in prison numbers caused by more committals for non-fine offences.

Ireland’s prison staff take an average of over 15 days sick leave a year.

The Irish Penal Reform Trust has welcomed a report showing significant improvements at the Oberstown youth detention facility, but said more effort was needed regarding restrictive practices involving children.

Ireland is in breach of its international human rights obligations by continuing to detain immigrants in prison and garda stations who have been refused entry to the country, a new report shows.

The Irish Penal Reform Trust is recommending that prisoners be allowed to make Skype calls to keep in contact with their children and families.

Judges who send people to prison for less than a year should be forced to explain their reasons why.

Reducing barriers to the labour market for those leaving prison would assist employers to find new talent and help cut reoffending, a conference has heard.

A new national advocacy strategy for children with a parent in prison is needed so their lives are not negatively impacted in the longer term, according to a number of leading support organisations.

Long-term inmates are being kept in prison despite being eligible for parole because there are no facilities on the outside to support them.

Prison health authorities should be tracking the spread of HIV, hepatitis C and tuberculosis in jails, the Irish Penal Reform Trust has urged.

Almost one in 10 of the country’s youngest inmates are in “restricted” regimes which see them in lock-up for up to 23 hours daily.

Ireland’s prison population rose by more than a quarter during the financial crisis years, in line with other economically hit countries in Europe.

Five of the country’s prisons have up to one third more inmates than they have capacity for, according to data from the Department of Justice.

Offensive name-calling can be a "common experience" for Travellers in prison — both from other inmates and from some prison officers, according to a new report.

Prison chiefs should adopt specific strategies to deal with the high numbers of travellers in jail and to prevent discrimination, a report has said.

Ireland might have an ambiguous relationship with its own whistleblowers, but a new survey indicates that internationally, we could be living in the era of the whistleblower.

Penal reformers have called on prison bosses to expand treatment provision for drug users within jails and to create drug-free sections for other inmates.

Prison director general Michael Donnellan said he is “embarrassed” by the recording of phone calls between 139 prisoners currently in custody and their solicitors.

Children and families of prisoners are critical to the re-integration of their loved ones back into society, says Fiona Donson.

Cork Prison is being hit by a “perfect storm” of high committal numbers, crumbling facilities, serious overcrowding, and poor mental health services.

Prisoners subjected to 22 and 23 hour lock-up are at greater risk of mental health, campaigners have said.

Mandatory sentencing should be abolished for all offences except murder, legal experts have advised the Government.

More than 30,000 cases of temporary release have been granted in prisons over the last eight months, official figures show.

Screened visits should be scrapped and greater use of temporary or ‘home’ leave should be introduced for prisoners to help maintain relationships with family members, according to a report.

The Irish Penal Reform Trust has criticised the criminal justice system for failing to safeguard the rights of the families of prisoners.

Gardaí and rape crisis centres have strongly objected to proposals from penal reformers to let garda killers and sex offenders leave jail temporarily or early.

Prisoners jailed for less than five years should be freed after serving half their sentence, say radical proposals to tackle overcrowding and cut time spent behind bars.

Inmates jailed for less than five years should have their sentences halved to tackle chronic overcrowding, campaigners have said today.

Almost one third of young offenders in St Patrick’s Institution are “on protection” and most of those are locked up for more than 20 hours a day for their own safety.

The former governor of Mountjoy Prison has said the release of Malcolm MacArthur is “a positive step” and said it may have happened sooner were it not for political pressure.

Nine out of 10 criminals serving sentences in the community instead of prison are at moderate-to-high risk of re-offending.

Penal reformers have expressed concern at the increase in female prisoners and the persistent use of prison for fine defaulters.

The Irish Penal Reform Trust has welcomed the release of the last 16-year-old child from jail, ending a much-condemned aspect of Ireland’s prison system.

There are only “very narrow” exceptions to the exclusion of sex offenders from proposed laws aimed at erasing the convictions of offenders, according to penal reformers.

There are serious questions surrounding the Government’s plan to ease prison overcrowding by releasing 1,200 inmates over the next three years.

Some 1,200 prisoners are to be released over the next three years as the Irish Prison Service seeks to tackle a long-running overcrowding problem.

Electronic tagging of prisoners will not necessarily lead to a reduction in the country’s prison population, the Irish Penal Reform Trust has warned.