Govt urged to rule out privatisation of any Irish prisons

The Irish Penal Reform Trust has called on the Government to rule out the privatisation of any prisons in Ireland.

In a report published today, the trust said evidence from Britain, the United States and Australia flew in the face of claims that privatisation would reduce prison costs.

Last month, the Inspector of Prisons called for the trial privatisation of at least one jail, claiming that this would lead to greater efficiency and reduced cost.

However, the IPRT said the main performance indicator for prisons should be the rate of re-offending and international evidence shows that private jails perform poorly in this area.

Spokesman Rick Lines said: "We have to recognise that these are profit-making industries and they don't have a vested interest in reducing crime because they maximise their profits when prisons are full."