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Dr. Mulgrew and Professor Tomczak (University of Nottingham) presented their research findings on prisoner death data to the Council of Penological Cooperation Working Group and representatives from Council of Europe member States. The Plenary session was held in Strasbourg from 5-7 of November 2024. Based on their 2023 article ‘Making Prisoner Deaths Visible: Towards a New Epistemological Approach’, Mulgrew and Tomczak shared their core recommendations for improving the evidence base for prisoner death prevention policy from their policy brief, Improving Prisoner Death Statistics (Council of Europe), February 2024. They call for comprehensive, disaggregated and contextualised data on prisoner deaths in order to reduce or prevent preventable deaths in prisons.

Dr. Mulgrew and Dr. O’Rourke participated in the launch of the two year EU funded, and Council of Europe supported project, ‘Technical support for more effective and resilient National Preventative Mechanisms’ in Dublin (22 October) The project was launched by officials from the Council of Europe’s Transversal Challenges and Multilateral Projects Division, the European Union’s Directorate General for Structure Reform, the Office of the Inspector of Prisons and the Cypriot Ombudsman Office. Panel discussions were led by the Director of the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission, the Executive Director of the Legal and Compliance Unit of An Garda Síochána, the head of the UK National Preventative Mechanism and the Irish Representative of the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture. The launch event ‘brought together over 60 stakeholders, including policymakers, representatives from state institutions and civil society, international experts, and a European Commission representative in Ireland. Participants engaged in discussions aimed at fostering collaboration, exchanging innovative ideas, and sharing promising practices to enhance the effectiveness of NPMs’.

Dr. Mulgrew was invited by the Executive Director Saoirse Brady to join the Board of Directors of Irish Penal Reform Trust and was co-opted on 27 July 2024. Her election to the Board of Directors was officially confirmed following a vote at the Annual General Meeting in Dublin on 18 September 2024. IPRT, an independent charity, was founded in 1994 by a group of citizens concerned about the abuses of human rights in Irish prisons. The IPRT is Ireland's leading non-governmental organisation campaigning for rights in the penal system and the progressive reform of Irish penal policy. It has three priority areas of work: a national penal policy which is just, humane, evidence-led, and uses prison as a last resort  a national penal system which protects and promotes human rights and strives to achieve international best practice in its regimes, daily practices and overall culture  IPRT as a sustainable, well-resourced, respected and collaborative stakeholder in penal policy in Ireland IPRT is governed by a voluntary Board of Directors with expertise in a range of areas relevant to penal reform. The Board focuses on the broader strategic goals of the organisation.    

A new report co-authored by Dr. Maria de Almeida Silva for the Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL) and the Irish Network Against Racism (INAR) was recently published.  Titled "Policing and Racial Discrimination in Ireland: A Community and Rights Perspective," the study reveals that ethnic minority communities feel unsupported and unrepresented by Gardaí due to racial profiling.  The report calls for comprehensive research and policy reforms to address these issues. Full details, findings and recommendations are available here.

On 5th April 2024, the Minister for Justice appointed Dr. Conor Hanly to the inaugural Board of Cuan.  Cuan is the statutory body dedicated to tackling and reducing domestic, sexual and gender-based violence.  Minister McEntee stated that she was ‘delighted that people with such experience and knowledge have been appointed to the Board. In supporting Cuan to deliver on its functions, their commitment and contribution will be a key element to delivering real and positive change for victims and survivors and for society more broadly’.  Dr. Hanly is also on the Board of the Galway Rape Crisis Centre. 

Dr Charles O’Mahony and Dr Róisín Mulgrew were appointed by the Chief Inspector to join the Office of the Inspector of Prison’s Expert Panel in August 2023. Their nomination reflects their specialist knowledge and professional qualifications in this field. The Office of the Inspector of Prisons aims to support excellence in the delivery and outcomes in Ireland’s prisons through an independent programme of inspections and investigations. The Expert Panel may be asked to assist the Inspectorate in carrying out its statutory duties, including the inspection of prisons.