The Irish Prison Service is responsible for the safe and secure custody of persons sentenced to prison, held on remand, or held on immigration matters. It is responsible for ensuring that convicted persons properly serve their sentence, and for providing them with opportunities to engage in a meaningful way to reduce the likelihood of reoffending, and assist their reintegration into law-abiding society. The Irish Prison Service deals with male and female offenders who are 18 years of age or older. 

P. 53 Mental Health and Addiction -

A multi-disciplinary approach is essential when providing care for people suffering from mental health, addiction or dual diagnosis. Irish Prison Service Primary Care staff (General Practitioners and nurses) work in close cooperation with Psychology colleagues and in-reach providers, in particular the National Forensic Mental Health Service (NFMHS) practitioners and Merchants Quay addiction counsellors. This helps to provide a holistic approach to people’s needs, taking into account the biological, psychological and social factors that may be driving their mental health difficulties, addiction or both. 

The National Clinical Lead for Mental Health and Addiction was appointed. This person is leading the coordination of the healthcare response to the Irish Prison Service Drug Strategy and High- Level Task Force Report recommendations. The role also involves ensuring statutory compliance with the Central Treatment List (HSE) and National Drug Treatment Reporting System (NDTRS). The NDTRS is Ireland’s national epidemiological database on treated drug and alcohol use and is maintained by the National Health Information Systems (NHIS) Unit of the HRB on behalf of the Department of Health. 

One key component of this role is building links with external agencies such as HSE addiction services, including the North-East Inner-City Initiative and the HSE Social Inclusion office, to develop care pathways for prisoners. The Irish Prison Service, in collaboration with key partners is working toward a more seamless transition of care for prisoners from custody to release. People in custody have access to a growing range of medical and rehabilitative services, such as opiate agonist treatment, addiction counselling, psychological intervention, peer to peer support programmes, psycho-education and the Treatment and Recovery Programme provided by Merchants Quay Ireland (MQI) which is available in the Medical Unit in Mountjoy Prison. All such treatments provided are in line with the National Drug Strategy, the Irish Prison Service Drugs Strategy 2023-2026, the Health Needs Assessment (HNA) and the High Level Taskforce on the mental health and addiction challenges of persons interacting with the criminal justice system. 

The Irish Prison Service has also engaged with the National Drug Treatment Centre to examine the use of an alternate opiate substitute to methadone called Buvidal which is administered in an injection form usually on a monthly basis. This new initiative is being implemented on a phased basis; initially continuing a community prescription and then expanding to allow the initiation of a prisoner on Buvidal while in custody. 

Overdoses - The Irish Prison Service is tackling the emerging threat from all illicit drugs and novel psychoactive substances through building awareness among prisoners and staff and forging links with HSE colleagues. In order to build upon this work, prisons have prepared and disseminated key harm reduction information to prisoners during these overdose scenarios. In line with the Irish Prison Service Drug Strategy a working group, involving a representation of all stakeholders, is being developed to improve the visibility and availability of information relating to drug-related harm across the prison estate. Links have been fostered with the HSE Naloxone Lead who, along with their team, have visited several prisons in 2025 to provide Overdose and Naloxone Awareness sessions. It is expected that further rollout of this targeted education piece will continue throughout the estate in 2026. 

A log of all overdoses nationally that have occurred has been managed centrally since its introduction in 2024. This log is maintained on an ongoing basis and is helping to guide the response to overdose scenario planning going forward. The Irish Prison Service is continuing to create a pathway via the National Drug Treatment Centre for testing of substances found in a timely manner which will inform future planning of overdose scenarios.

Merchants Quay Ireland (MQI) The Irish Prison Service engages MQI to provide a prison-based addiction counselling service across the entire Irish Prison Service estate—with the exception of the Training Unit where the clinical need is currently under review. The MQI service provides a range of counselling and intervention skills related to substance misuse and dependency. These skills include motivational interviewing and enhancement therapy, a twelve- step facilitation programme, cognitive behavioural therapy and harm reduction approaches. People in our custody are offered one to one counselling and group work interventions.....