Integrated Sentence Management
The Integrated Sentence Management (ISM) system was developed to ensure co-ordination of interactions with prisoners based on agreed sentence plans.

As part of ISM, prisoners take a greater personal responsibility for their own development through active engagement with services in the prisons. ISM involves initial assessment, goal setting and periodic review to measure progress.
Under ISM, a newly committed prisoner with a sentence of one year or greater is assessed by an ISM Co-ordinator. A personal plan for the prisoner to complete during his/her time in prison is then drawn up. The plan is reviewed regularly between the ISM Co-ordinator and the prisoner, with written reports feeding in from the relevant services and agencies.
Approximately one year prior to release, the ISM Co-ordinator meets the prisoner to establish his/her needs on release and a plan is put in place to assist his/her re-integration into the community.
Integrated Sentence Management Coordinators are also active participants in sentence planning for certain categories of prisoners serving less than one year, for example, female prisoners, prisoners who have declared their risk of homelessness on release, or prisoners participating in the Community Support Scheme. The Integrated Sentence Management process has played an integral role in the success of the Community Return Scheme.
In July 2021, the Irish Prison Service introduced a new central management ICT platform on the Prisoner Information Management System (PIMS) to capture and monitor the work of ISM Coordinators and members of the multi-disciplinary team. Since July 2021, prisoner multi-disciplinary sentence plans agreed by the prison-based team are now printed and shared with the prisoner to guide the prisoner’s ownership of their sentence management. This centralised information-sharing resource also assists prison-based services to improve the transition from custody to the community for offenders, with the overall aim of reducing risk to the individual and reducing risk of recidivism, while improving accountability and transparency.