Thurles Information

Minister for Justice Mrs Helen McEntee has today published the Office of the Inspector of Prisons Annual Report for 2022.

This is the 12th Annual Report and is in accordance with the ‘Inspection Framework for Prisons in Ireland’. The 2022 report provides an overview of the Inspectorate’s work and an oversight of Ireland’s prisons.

Publishing the report, Minister McEntee said: “The Chief Inspector of Prisons, Mr Mark Kelly was appointed in August 2022 and it is clear that he has set about ensuring that the Office of the Inspector of Prisons has continued to carry out the full range of oversight function of Ireland’s prisons to the fullest extent possible. Mr Kelly and his team have met their responsibility of monitoring the treatment of prisoners and the conditions across the full prison estate, with great commitment and consideration and I am pleased to have the opportunity to acknowledge this.”

Within the 2022 Annual Report, the Inspectorate of Prisons sets out the significant body of work conducted; including publication of the final four of twelve reports into Covid Thematic Inspections of all prisons in Ireland (on Castlerea, Loughan House, Midlands Prisons and the Dóchas Centre).
In November and December 2022, the Inspectorate also carried out an unannounced Inspection of Mountjoy Prison, the first unannounced full inspection of an Irish prison for many years.

The Inspectorate also has a responsibility to investigate Deaths in Custody and as a result prepared, with the Minister publishing 17 such reports in 2022.

In addition, for the first time in 2022, the Inspectorate carried out a thematic investigation on Education and Work Training, across 3 prisons [ Wheatfield, Mountjoy and Arbour Hill ]. This was the first of its kind and done in partnership with the Department of Education Inspectorate.
The report was published last June, 2023.

Minister McEntee went on to say: “I welcome the oversight provided in the 2022 Annual Report, as it is vitally important to the dignity of care and rehabilitation of prisoners. The report is a culmination of the work carried out by the Inspector of Prisons and his dedicated team, along with the support and engagement of the Irish Prison Service Staff.
Effective oversight and evaluation are welcome and important elements in developing and improving our penal system and I want to thank everyone involved for their work.”

The Inspectorate has raised concerns regarding the existing Prisoner Complaints system. Work continues with the Irish Prison Service on this and the drafting of the new Prison Rules, and once complete will allow the new Prison Complaints system to operate effectively.

In relation to overcrowding in prisons, the Minister has approved measures to reduce prison capacity pressures, including amendment of eligibility criteria for the Community Return and the Community Support Schemes and for consideration of Temporary Release along with proposed capital solutions for the Prisons Estate and four capital projects.

In the 2022 Annual Report, the Inspector of Prisons emphasises the importance of maintaining functional independence and the Department of Justice is supportive and continues to engage with the Office of the Inspector of Prisons in the context of the Inspection of Places of Detention Bill. This is to ensure there is alignment of the new and the existing responsibilities of the office and alignment with Ireland’s obligations under OPCAT. Drafting of the Inspection of Places of Detention Bill is underway and a first draft is expected shortly, from the Office of Parliamentary Counsel.

The Inspector of Prisons, Mr Mark Kelly added: “The work of the Inspectorate, set out in our Annual Report for 2022 has continued at pace in the current year, with full unannounced inspections of Cork and Cloverhill Prisons and the Dóchas Centre; re-prioritisation of our death in custody investigations and tightening our oversight of the most serious complaints by prisoners (known as Category A complaints).
I welcome the renewed commitment by the Minister to bring forward legislation to enable Ireland to ratify the Optional Protocol to the United Nations Convention Against Torture (OPCAT) and to take measures to tackle overcrowding. In December 2022, I signalled that, unless urgent action was taken, such as imposing an enforceable ceiling on the number of people who can be held in each prison, the dramatic overcrowding observed by my team in Mountjoy Prison for Men in 2022 would become a grave problem for the prison system as a whole. The need to tackle overcrowding through a broad range of criminal justice interventions is now more acute than ever”.

• More than one-in-five 16-year-olds in Ireland have gambled for money in the last 12 months.
• Boys make up the overwhelming majority (80%) of 16 year olds that meet the criteria for problem gambling.
• Gambling Regulation Bill introduces tight restrictions on gambling advertising aimed particularly at protecting children.

The Minister for State with responsibility for Law Reform and Youth Justice, Mr James Browne supports the publication of a landmark new report yesterday into the gambling habits of teenagers in Ireland.

The Children and Gambling: Evidence to inform regulation and responses in Ireland report, published by the Institute of Public Health, is the first study into the gambling activities of children aged 16 years in Ireland.

The report used data from the European School Survey Project on Alcohol and other Drugs (ESPAD), a cross-sectional survey of 15-16-year-old students that has been carried out every four years for over 25 years in more than 35 European countries.

The report found that between one-in- four and one-in-five (22.9%) 16-year-olds in Ireland reported gambling for money in the last 12 months.
Almost a quarter (23.1%) of those gambled for money gambled online.
Betting on sports or animals was the most common form of gambling among 16 year olds and this with a significant proportion doing so online.

Online gambling was associated with both excessive gambling and problem gambling with boys making up the overwhelming majority (80%) of 16 year olds that met the criteria for problem gambling.

Noting the findings, Minister Browne said: “The findings of this report are deeply troubling and serve to highlight why we, as a society, must protect children and vulnerable citizens from the harms associated with gambling.
Reforming gambling legislation and regulation in Ireland is a key commitment in our Programme for Government and Justice Plan, and has been one of my priorities as Minister.
At its core, the Gambling Regulation Bill is a public health measure. A key focus of the Bill is to protect children from the widespread proliferation of gambling advertising across different forms of media.
That is why the Bill provides for a watershed prohibiting the broadcast of gambling advertising on television, radio and on audio-visual media services between the hours of 5:30am and 9:00pm.
The Bill introduces restrictions on the advertisement of gambling activities aimed particularly at protecting children and vulnerable people from the harms of problem gambling.
The legislation also provides for the establishment and operation of the National Gambling Exclusion Register and also introduces a number of additional measures to protect people who participate in gambling.
It also establishes a Social Impact Fund, which will be used to finance research and related initiatives to address problem gambling behaviours, to support awareness–raising and educational measures and to support problem gambling treatment activities.
I expect that the Gambling Regulation Bill 2022 will complete its journey through the Oireachtas early next year, subject to the cooperation of both Houses.”

The report found that one-in-ten of those who gambled in the last year demonstrated excessive gambling.

Furthermore, 8.1% felt the need to lie to people important to them about how much money they gambled and feeling the need to bet more and more money was experienced by almost one in five (19%).
The findings of this report signal the need for the regulation of gambling products with a view to protecting children and vulnerable members of society.
The report also points to the need for further data on children and gambling to be collected and monitored through national health surveys.

Minister Browne added: “It is a priority for the Government and my Department to reform our gambling legislation, licensing and regulation.
The Bill sets out the framework and legislative basis for the establishment of a new, independent statutory body called Údarás Rialála Cearrbhachais na hÉireann (the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland) and for a robust regulatory and licensing regime to regulate gambling in-person and online, and for the regulation of gambling advertising, websites and apps.
Ms Anne Marie Caulfield was appointed CEO Designate of the Authority and her ongoing preparatory work, in tandem with the passage of the Gambling Regulation Bill 2022, will ensure that the Authority will be in a position to commence its work once the legislation is commenced and the members of the Authority are appointed.
In addition to the watershed provisions, the Bill provides for a wide ranging power to allow the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland to prescribe the times, places and events where gambling advertising can be broadcast, displayed or published.
This power will allow the Authority to address the issue of gambling advertising on social media, online, and on traditional media such as television and radio, as well as in publications and outdoor advertising such as billboards etc. It will ensure that the Authority will have the requisite flexibility to adopt focused measures in a responsive and agile manner in order to regulate an industry that is ever changing, adapting and evolving.
The Bill also prohibits commercial gambling companies from sponsoring any event that is aimed at or appeals to children or from sponsoring sports teams, clubs and facilities where children are members.”