Today I am part of the Justice Select Committee delegation to the Dáil Éireann where we are meeting with our Irish counterparts as part of an inquiry into the role of adult custodial remand in the criminal justice system that was launched in March 2022.
The inquiry seeks to understand why the number of people on remand has increased significantly since Covid-19, whether remand custody is fit for purpose and is being appropriately applied, and the effect custodial remand has on the prison population and what support those on remand receive.
In England and Wales remand prisoners are held in Category B prisons across the country. This visit to Cloverhill prison has been arranged to show a different system where the majority of remand prisoners are held in a dedicated prison, to see how this can lead to a differing experience for prisoners and the impact on the justice system.
The visit is also an opportunity to discuss whether the growing remand population in England and Wales is a phenomenon occurring in other countries and, if so, if there are similar drivers behind the increases, as well as getting an understanding more generally about how custodial remand is determined and used in another country.
A really important visit to make to ensure we are tackling issues in our country in an effective way.
