Information and Support

We provide support to all prisoners entitled to Irish citizenship and assist clients with a wide range of issues, including repatriation, deportation, health and legal matters, discrimination, ill-treatment and access to post-release support and accommodation. We advise clients on these issues and work closely with Government Departments, statutory agencies, solicitors, probation officers, prison officials, local authorities and welfare agencies to meet their specific needs. An important part of our work involves making representations on behalf of clients to prison authorities and other relevant parties.

Each year, ICPO staff undertake a considerable number of prison visits in the UK, the USA, Europe, Australia and as well as on occasion to parts of Asia, the Middle East and South America. Where possible we also organise visitors for Irish people detained abroad. For some this may be their only contact with the outside world. Prison visitors provide practical support to people in prison and raise matters of concern (e.g. prisoner’s welfare) with the ICPO for follow up.

We remain in regular contact with clients by letter, email and video call, especially those who have little or no other form of support, and we provide them with prepaid envelopes to allow them to keep in touch. We send out our newsletter ICPO News three times a year as well as a Christmas card and St. Patrick’s Day card each year.

We send CDs, dictionaries and phrase books to prisoners who wish to learn the language of the country they are in and provide books, including those by Irish authors and of Irish interest, to clients who have no or limited access to a prison library.

The ICPO coordinates the entries and sponsors the Prisoners Overseas Award in the ‘Writing in Prisons’ section of the Listowel Writers’ Week. We are very grateful to the festival committee for assisting Irish prisoners overseas to participate in this wonderful competition.

The ICPO provides practical assistance to vulnerable Irish people in prison (or Irish Prisoners) by providing financial support in exceptional circumstances. These small grants assist clients with the cost of phone calls and letters to their families at home and also to assist those who are unable to access basic necessities, such as food, water, clothing and medical treatment.