Prisons Act 2007 Annotation

Abstract

The main purpose of this annotation is to examine the provisions of the Irish Prisons Act 2007 which: 1. Allows the Minister the possibility of contracting out prisoner escort services. This service is ordinarily a public service provided by prison officers and members of the Garda Siochana however, if the Minister deems it appropriate, the service may be privatised under Part 2 of the Act. 2. Creates the procedures to be followed where a prisoner is alleged to have committed a breach of discipline, the sanctions that may be imposed on a prisoner for same and the avenues available to a prisoner to petition or appeal against such a finding and/or sanction. Section 16 provides for the establishment of an appeal tribunal for this purpose. 3. Provides for the planning arrangements for the construction and extension of prisons and the procedures to be followed. 4. Places the Inspector of Prisons, established in 2002, in a statutory framework and defines the Inspector of Prisons role and functions. 5. Allows for the use of video conferencing for certain court applications and hearings so that a prisoner does not have to be transported from prison to court for the purpose of a hearing. 6. Empowers the Minister to create rules for the regulation and good government of prisons. The Prison Rules 2007 (S.I. No.252 of 2007) give effect to the provisions of s.35 and matters relating to the internal governance of a prison. 7. Deals with a number of miscellaneous matters including the prohibition of the use of mobile telecommunication devices, excluding the work that prisoners engage in from the provisions of the National Minimum Wage Act 2000, the payment by prisoners for services outside the ordinary service provision of the prison and allows for the absence of a prisoner from prison on compassionate or other grounds.