Prison based research in the Irish Prison Service (IPS)  is managed centrally by the Care & Rehabilitation (C&R) Research Unit. Established in 2025, the Research Unit is led by the Research Development and Evaluation Manager, and supported by number of administrative, technical and research staff. The ultimate goal of the Research Unit is to ensure that the work of the Irish Prison Service, including our policies and practices, is informed by the best available evidence.

The Research Unit has a number of research functions which work together to achieve this goal.

1. Internal research

Researchers in the Research Unit engage in a number of research activities and methodologies to support the C&R Directorate. This may include rapid evidence reviews, secondary data analysis, pilots, audits and service evaluation. The Research Unit also supports staff in the IPS to engage in and/or with research, including research consultations, research supervision, and knowledge translation, exchange and dissemination.

2. Collaborative research

The Research Unit engages with various Higher Education Institutions across Ireland to co-produce research projects – at Faculty and student levels – meaningfully matching academic interests with the applied research needs of the IPS. The Research Unit may consider joining academic partners on research funding applications and opportunities, as well as commissioning research on behalf of the IPS as organisational needs arise.

3. External research

External researchers – including academics and students – are often interested in conducting research in the IPS. The Research Unit supports external researchers through the Research Approval Process, outlined below.

Research Approval Process (RAP)

Any prison based research which involves collecting data in the IPS must navigate through the Research Approval Process (RAP), managed centrally by the Research Unit. This includes research which plans to access people in custody, staff working in the IPS, and existing and available IPS data.

The RAP involves the researcher filling out the Research Application Form (RAF) , and submitting this to the Research Approval Board (RAB) for consideration. All researchers must also navigate any separate ethical and research approval processes in their associated organisations and/or institutions where applicable, and the RAB may request confirmation of same.

Student Research

RAFs submitted by Doctoral students (level 10) will be prioritised.

The RAB will consider RAFs submitted by Masters (level 9) students on a case-by-case basis. However, applicants are encouraged to consider the timeframe afforded for research within their degree programme, and whether desk-based research (e.g. evidence synthesis) would be more feasible. Due to operational constraints – for example overcrowding – the Research Unit cannot offer any assurance that any primary research can be completed within a specified timeframe.

The Research Unit is unable to accept RAFs from undergraduate students.

Research Approval Board (RAB)

The RAB is a representative group of IPS staff who are responsible for reviewing RAFs, and coming to a decision on the outcome of the application. The RAB review all information presented on RAFs, and pay particular consideration to the following:

• The value of the research to the IPS, and it’s alignment with IPS strategic priorities
• The novelty of the research in the context of previously completed and ongoing research
• The potential resource implications involved in facilitating the research, including potential burden on IPS staff and/or people in custody – particularly over-researched groups
• The potential ethical implications of the research
• Plans to meaningfully disseminate the research findings within the IPS

The RAB convene regularly throughout the calendar year. Meeting dates for 2026, including deadlines for the submission of RAFs and expected timelines for outcomes, are below. RAFs which are submitted after the specified deadlines will be carried over to the subsequent RAB meeting.

RAP – Key Dates 2026

Research Application Form (RAF)

The RAF is available to download here.

All relevant fields in the RAF must be complete – incomplete RAFs, and alternative versions and formats, will not be accepted by the Research Unit.

Applicants may avail of one 20 minute RAF support session with a member of the Research Unit per application. This can be used to ask questions and seek clarity before submitting the RAF. To do so, please email researchapplications@irishprisons.ie with the subject ‘RAF Support Session Request’. RAF support session requests must be received at least 10 working days before the RAF submission deadline. The Research Unit cannot answer any queries regarding RAFs outside of support sessions.

Complete RAFs must be submitted to researchapplications@irishprisons.ie with the subject ‘RAF Submission’ by the deadlines specified above. Applicants will receive email notification that the RAF has been received by the Research Unit, and that it has either:

1. Been rejected for not meeting specified criteria (e.g. undergraduate student, late submission, alternate RAF version/form); OR
2. Been forwarded to the RAB for review and their next meeting; OR
3. In exceptional circumstances, should the volume of applications necessitate, the Research Unit may implement a cap on the number of applications considered at the next RAB meeting. RAFs received after the cap will be reviewed at the following RAB meeting. Should this occur, applicants will be notified by the Research Unit at the earliest opportunity.

The Research Unit and the RAB may request documentation to support applications. This may include confirmation of ethical approval from associated organisations and/or institutions, participant recruitment and data collection materials, researcher credentials and/or vetting paperwork.

Outcomes

Applicants will be notified of the outcome of their application in the timeframe outlined in the table above. The RAB will come to a joint decision on the outcome of applications, with 3 options available:

1. Approved: The RAB approve the RAF in its current form. The applicant can proceed with the research.
2. Approved subject to revisions: The RAB approve the RAF subject to some clarifications and/or amendments. These will be detailed in the outcome letter to the applicant. Applicants must provide a letter to the RAB addressing each of the revisions within 6 weeks. If the Chair of the RAB is satisfied that the revisions have been addressed adequately, the RAF will be approved. If not, the Chair will reject the RAF, and the below will apply.
3. Rejected: The RAB reject the RAF in its current form. Reasoning will be provided to applicants. Applicants are permitted to revise and resubmit the RAF once only. Resubmissions must be received by the deadlines advertised in the above table, and all reasons for previous rejection must be addressed in full.

All RAB approval is ‘in principle’. Due to operational constraints – for example overcrowding – the Research Unit cannot offer any assurance that any research can be successfully completed, particularly within a specified timeframe. It is the responsibility of applicants and researchers to navigate the next steps of their research following RAB approval.

Research Publications

Many IPS staff are actively engaged in authoring, co-authoring and contributing to research publications. A selection of recent publications are available in the table below.