Penal Reform Trust welcomes McDowell comments on prisons

The Irish Penal Reform Trust has welcomed the Government’s commitment not to privatise all of Ireland’s prisons.

Justice Minister Michael McDowell made the commitment in the Dáil yesterday.

He said his priority was the maintain public ownership of the prisons.

However, the Penal Reform Trust has also expressed concern that the minister did not rule out the possibility that prisons may be "semi-privatised" by allowing businessmen to build and maintain prisons which would still be run by the public sector.