Report overturns FF/Green claims over State’s role

In 2009, the then Fianna Fáil/Green government denied any state involvement in sending women to the Magdalene institutions, but yesterday’s report found that assertion false.

It found 26.5% of the 10,000 women, for whom they could find records, were sent to the laundries via an arm of the State.

It said that women on demand, on probation, on temporary release from prison and early reason from prison were sent to the laundries. The majority of women sent by the criminal justice system were imprisoned for petty crimes such as thieving, or not buying a train ticket.