Updated to 18 February 2026 (Act No. 1 of 2026 and S.I. No. 54 of 2026)
All effects below are reflected in the most recent Revised Act.
Prisons Act 2007
No. 10 of 2007
Contents
Commencement
| Section | Commencement/Effective Date Where the commencement and effective dates differ, the effective date is shown below.
|
Commencement Information |
|---|---|---|
| Ss. 1 - 3 | 1 May 2007 | Prison Act 2007 (Commencement) Order 2007 (S.I. No. 180 of 2007), art. 2 |
| Ss. 4 - 10 | Not yet commenced. Requires commencement order under s. 1(2) | |
| Ss. 11 - 16 | 1 October 2007 | Prisons Act 2007 (Commencement) (No.2) Order 2007(S.I. No. 370 of 2007), art. 2 |
| Ss. 17 - 32 | 1 May 2007 | Prison Act 2007 (Commencement) Order 2007 (S.I. No. 180 of 2007), art. 2 |
| Ss. 33, 34 | 29 August 2008 | Prisons Act 2007 (Commencement) Order 2008 (S.I. No. 337 of 2008), art. 2 |
| Ss. 35 - 37 | 1 May 2007 | Prison Act 2007 (Commencement) Order 2007 (S.I. No. 180 of 2007), art. 2 |
| S. 38 | 1 October 2007 | Prisons Act 2007 (Commencement) (No. 3) Order 2007 (S.I. No. 650 of 2007), art. 2 |
| Ss. 39 - 41 | 1 May 2007 | Prison Act 2007 (Commencement) Order 2007 (S.I. No. 180 of 2007), art. 2 |
| S. 42(a) | 1 October 2007 | Prisons Act 2007 (Commencement) (No.2) Order 2007 (S.I. No. 370 of 2007), art. 2 |
| S. 42(b), 42(c) | 1 May 2007 | Prison Act 2007 (Commencement) Order 2007 (S.I. No. 180 of 2007), art. 2 |
| S. 43 | 1 May 2007 | Prison Act 2007 (Commencement) Order 2007 (S.I. No. 180 of 2007), art. 2 |
Amendments and other effects
| How Affected | Affecting Provision | Affecting Provision Commencement/Effective Date
Where the commencement and effective dates differ, the effective date is shown below.
|
Commencement Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Act included in collectively cited Prisons Acts 1826 to 2015 | Prisons (Ireland) Act 1826 (7 Geo. IV, c. 74) | ||
| Prisoners (Ireland) Amendment Act 1884 (47 & 48 Vict., c. 36) | |||
| Fine or Imprisonment (Scotland and Ireland) Act 1899 (62 & 63 Vict., c. 11) | |||
| Prisons (Ireland) Act 1907 (7 Edw. 7, c. 19) | |||
| Prisons Act 1933 (51/1933) | |||
| Prisons Act 1956 (9/1956) | |||
| Prisons Act 1970 (11/1970) (repealed) | |||
| Prisons Act 1972 (7/1972) (repealed) | |||
| Prisons Act 1974 (10/1974) | |||
| Prisons Act 1977 (14/1977) | |||
| Prisons Act 2007 (10/2007) | |||
| Prisons Act 1980 (6/1980) | |||
| Prisons Act 2015 (57/2015), parts 1 and 2, s. 11 and part 4 | |||
| Collectively cited Prisons Acts applied with modifications | Children Act 2001 (24/2001), s. 156B, as inserted by 26/2006 Criminal Justice Act 2006 (26/2006), s. 144 | 23 July 2007 | Children Act 2001 (Commencement) (No. 3) Order 2007 (S.I. No. 524 of 2007) |
| Children Act 2001 (24/2001), s. 153(4) | 23 July 2007 | Children Act 2001 (Commencement) (No. 3) Order 2007 (S.I. No. 524 of 2007) | |
| Application of collectively cited Prisons Acts restricted | Employment Equality Act 1977 (16/1977), s. 17B, as inserted by European Communities (Employment Equality) Regulations 1985 (S.I. No. 331 of 1985), reg. 5 | 2 October 1985 | European Communities (Employment Equality) Regulations 1985 (S.I. No. 331 of 1985) |
| S. 2 amended | Prisons Act 2015 (No. 57 of 2015), ss. 1(2), 20 | 7 April 2017 | Prisons Act 2015 (Commencement) Order 2017 (S.I. No. 134 of 2017), art. 2 |
| S. 5 transfer of certain functions under | Finance (Transfer of Departmental Administration and Ministerial Functions) Order 2011 (S.I. No. 418 of 2011), arts. 1(2), 3 & sch. 1 | 29 July 2011 | Finance (Transfer of Departmental Administration and Ministerial Functions) Order 2011 (S.I. No. 418 of 2011), art. 1(2) |
| Part 3 (ss. 11-16) applied | Prison Rules 2007 (S.I. No. 252 of 2007), rls. 1(2), 27(1), 29(1),66, 67(13), 68(1) | 1 October 2007 | Prison Rules 2007 (S.I. No. 252 of 2007), rl. 1(2) |
| Part 3 (ss. 11-16) application extended | Prison Rules 2007 (S.I. No. 252 of 2007), rls. 1(2), 66(1) | 1 October 2007 | Prison Rules 2007 (S.I. No. 252 of 2007), rl. 1(2) |
| S. 12 applied | Prison Rules 2007 (S.I. No. 252 of 2007), 1(2), sch. 1, par. 13 | 1 October 2007 | Prison Rules 2007 (S.I. No. 252 of 2007), rl. 1(2) |
| S. 13 references construed "Human Rights Commission" | Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission Act 2014 (No. 25 of 2014), ss. 1(3), 8, 44(2) | 8 October 2014 | Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission Act 2014 (Commencement) Order 2014 (S.I. No. 449 of 2014), art. 3(c) |
| S. 15 applied | Prison Rules 2007 (S.I. No. 252 of 2007), 1(2), sch. 1, par. 13 | 1 October 2007 | Prison Rules 2007 (S.I. No. 252 of 2007), rl. 1(2) |
| S. 15(7) transfer of certain functions under | Finance (Transfer of Departmental Administration and Ministerial Functions) Order 2011 (S.I. No. 418 of 2011), arts. 1(2), 3 & sch. 1 | 29 July 2011 | Finance (Transfer of Departmental Administration and Ministerial Functions) Order 2011 (S.I. No. 418 of 2011) |
| S. 16(4) transfer of certain functions under | Finance (Transfer of Departmental Administration and Ministerial Functions) Order 2011 (S.I. No. 418 of 2011), arts. 1(2), 3 & sch. 1 | 29 July 2011 | Finance (Transfer of Departmental Administration and Ministerial Functions) Order 2011 (S.I. No. 418 of 2011) |
| Part 4 (ss. 17-29) repealed | Criminal Justice (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2023 (24/2023), ss. 1(5), 74 | 1 August 2023 | Criminal Justice (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2023 (Commencement) Order 2023 (S.I. No. 391 of 2023), art. 3(e) |
| S. 20(1)(c) transfer of functions | Heritage (Transfer of Departmental Administration and Ministerial Functions) Order 2020 (S.I. No. 339 of 2020), arts. 1(2), 3, schedule | 9 September 2020 | Heritage (Transfer of Departmental Administration and Ministerial Functions) Order 2020 (S.I. No. 339 of 2020), art. 1(2) |
| Heritage (Transfer of Departmental Administration and Ministerial Functions) Order 2011 (S.I. No. 192 of 2011), arts. 1(2), 3(1) & sch., pt. 1 | 1 May 2011 | Heritage (Transfer of Departmental Administration and Ministerial Functions) Order 2011 (S.I. No. 192 of 2011), art. 1(2) | |
| S. 28(1)(c) substituted | Historic and Archaeological Heritage and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2023 (26/2023), ss. 1, 240(a) | Not yet commenced. Commencement order required under s. 1(12) | |
| S. 28(3) amended | Historic and Archaeological Heritage and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2023 (26/2023), ss. 1, 240(b) | Not yet commenced. Commencement order required under s. 1(12) | |
| S. 28 transfer of functions | Heritage (Transfer of Departmental Administration and Ministerial Functions) Order 2020 (S.I. No. 339 of 2020), arts. 1(2), 3, schedule | 9 September 2020 | Heritage (Transfer of Departmental Administration and Ministerial Functions) Order 2020 (S.I. No. 339 of 2020), art. 1(2) |
| Heritage (Transfer of Departmental Administration and Ministerial Functions) Order 2011 (S.I. No. 192 of 2011), arts. 1(2), 3(1) & sch., pt. 1 | 1 May 2011 | Heritage (Transfer of Departmental Administration and Ministerial Functions) Order 2011 (S.I. No. 192 of 2011), art. 1(2) | |
| S. 33 repealed | Civil Law and Criminal Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2020 (13/2020), ss. 1(2), 5(1), (2) | 14 September 2020 | Civil Law and Criminal Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2020 (Commencement) (No. 2) Order 2020 (S.I. No. 307 of 2020), art. 2(a) |
| S. 34 repealed | Civil Law and Criminal Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2020 (13/2020), ss. 1(2), 5(1), (2) | 14 September 2020 | Civil Law and Criminal Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2020 (Commencement) (No. 2) Order 2020 (S.I. No. 307 of 2020), art. 2(a) |
SIs made under the Act
| Section | SIs made under the Act |
|---|---|
| S. 18(1) | Direction Under Section 18(1) of Prisons Act 2007 (S.I. No. 240 of 2012) |
| Direction under Section 18(1) of Prisons Act 2007 (S.I. No. 251 of 2007) | |
| S. 35 | Prison (Disciplinary Code for Officers) (Revocation) Rules 2020 (S.I. No. 261 of 2020) |
| Prison (Amendment) Rules 2020 (S.I. No. 250 of 2020) | |
| Prison (Amendment) Rules 2018 (S.I. No. 507 of 2018) | |
| Prison (Amendment) Rules 2017 (S.I. No. 276 of 2017) | |
| Prison (Amendment) (No. 2) Rules 2014 (S.I. No. 385 of 2014) | |
| Prison (Amendment) Rules 2014 (S.I. No. 227 of 2014) | |
| Prison Rules (Amendment) 2013 (S.I. No. 11 of 2013) | |
| Prison (Disciplinary Code for officers) (Amendment) Rules 2009 (S.I. No. 438 of 2009) | |
| Prison Rules 2007 (S.I. No. 252 of 2007) |