Better Public Services article: Irish Prison Service's Digital First approach
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From: Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform
- Published on: 20 January 2025
- Last updated on: 13 March 2025
Colleagues in the Irish Prison Service outline how their current Service Strategy is supporting the delivery of digital services and broader justice reform. Adopting a Digital First approach, as the Prison Service has done, supporting digital inclusion and creating dynamic workplaces are key priorities of the Better Public Services strategy.
In the Irish Prison Service, we’ve recognized the essential need to modernise our services through digital development and transformation. Our Irish Prison Service Strategy 2023 - 2027 outlines a robust plan to embed continuous quality improvement across all our operations, centring around five strategic pillars: Prisoner Pathways, Employee Experience, New Business Processes, Digital Platforms, and Governance.
A cornerstone of this transformation is our Digital Platforms pillar. It encompasses enhancing transparency, fostering innovation, and boosting efficiency and effectiveness across our services. By adopting a Digital First approach, we aim to transform our training and education programs, enhance digital literacy and skills, and ultimately improve employment opportunities for individuals upon release.
Modernisation will support us to deliver faster and more transparent services, thus building greater public and partner trust, especially among over-represented populations. Improved health services, driven by integrated systems and better data management, enhance safety and reduce costs.
The 'never normal' post-pandemic environment requires us to be highly flexible and adaptable to constant change. Investing in aging infrastructure and technology is foundational for our modernisation initiatives. Embracing a cloud-first philosophy brings increased flexibility, computational power, and better collaboration. Moreover, modernisation supports our goals for diversity, inclusion, and equity by identifying and removing systemic biases.
Aligning with the Digital Government agenda established by the Better Public Services and Connecting Government 2030 strategies is critical for our efficiency and effectiveness, allowing us to shape the narrative around modernisation.
We aim to enhance staff experience, reduce manual tasks, boost system productivity, and provide more autonomy in scheduling and leave management. Additionally, a targeted organisation-wide dashboard will enhance performance and facilitate online learning and development for staff.
Our strategy is built on comprehensive consultations with our stakeholders and partners, including valuable input from the Red Cross and engagement with those in our custody. This inclusive approach helps us align our ICT and business strategies effectively, supporting a seamless integration of technology with our business goals.
We’ve already made strides under this Digital Platforms pillar. We rapidly introduced family video visits and court video-links in the last number of years, helping maintain essential connections. Moving towards a cashless prison society, we've enabled online methods for families to lodge money into prisoner accounts. We’ve established a purpose-built central operating database for multidisciplinary team activities, and commenced installing in-cell telephones and information TV channels. We have trialled in-cell devices for blended learning and services, and launched the 'email-a-prisoner' service to speed up correspondence.
Moreover, we’ve modernised our HR processes with a new cloud-based Core HR management system and e-recruitment system. Projects such as the Courts List via the Criminal Justice Operational Hub (CJOH) and the 'Limerick' interactive digital cell door enhance operational efficiency and security. Our Data Analytics Project uses data to improve decision-making, underscoring our commitment to continuous improvement and modernisation.
Through these efforts, the Irish Prison Service is committed to leveraging digital tools and adopting a service design approach that places the user at the centre. This ensures a more efficient, transparent, and innovative environment, ultimately enhancing our service delivery and supporting broader justice reform.