The urgent need to strengthen mental health care in Irish places of deprivation of liberty was the focus of a roundtable bringing together Irish authorities, oversight bodies, international experts and civil society partners. The event, co-organised by the Council of Europe (CoE), the Office of the Inspector of Prisons (OIP) of Ireland and the Mental Health Commission of Ireland, aimed at supporting national efforts to improve rights-based and coordinated responses to mental health needs of people deprived of their liberty.

The European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT), following its 2024 visit to Ireland, reiterated concerns about the treatment of mentally ill persons in prisons and the slow pace of reform. These findings echo those of the OIP, whose 2024 Thematic Inspection Report: An Evaluation of the Provision of Psychiatric Care in the Irish Prison System highlighted persistent gaps in access to appropriate mental health care and continuity of support upon release.

The roundtable provided a platform for dialogue among key Irish stakeholders, including the Department of Health, the Mental Health Commission, the OIP, non-governmental organisations, academics and experts. Participants discussed mental healthcare challenges for detainees in Ireland, as well as mental healthcare pathways. Discussions of  legal protections and accountability for mental health in circumstances of deprivation of liberty also shed light on the potential interactions of the future multi-member NPM in Ireland with current oversight mechanisms, and stressed the urgency of passing the respective legislation paving the way for the establishment of the NPM.

The event was organised in the framework of the EU-CoE joint project “Technical support for more effective and resilient National Preventive Mechanisms (NPM)” co-funded by the European Union through the Technical Support Instrument and implemented by the Council of Europe in cooperation with the European Commission. The project supports Ireland and Cyprus in developing operational tools, raising awareness, and enhancing the capacity of NPMs.