Courts right victory for mentally ill prisoners

LEGAL history was made yesterday after a prison reform group won the right to take court action against the State on behalf of mentally ill prisoners.

If the Irish Penal Reform Trust (IPRT) is successful in its case, it paves the way for thousands of prisoners with psychiatric problems to sue the State for damages.

In a ground-breaking decision, the High Court ruled that the IPRT was entitled to represent mentally ill prisoners in legal proceedings against the State.