Armagh Prison no-wash protest Armagh Prison no-wash protest The 1980–1981 Armagh Prison Dirty Protest occurred at the all-women Armagh Prison in Northern Ireland, where prisoners refused to bathe, use the lavatory, empty chamber pots, or clean their cells. This resulted in unsanitary conditions and increased abuse at the hands of the prison guards. The protest borrowed tactics previously used by male Irish republican prisoners in Long Kesh Prison (informally known as the Maze Prison), that had started in 1978. Since a hunger strike of 40 IRA prisoners in 1972, prisoners convicted as members of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) had been given Special Category
Irish Prison Service Irish Prison Service The Irish Prison Service (IPS) () manages the day-to-day operation of prisons in the Republic of Ireland. Political responsibility for the Ireland's prisons rests with the Minister of the Department of Justice and Equality. As of 2018, the Irish Prison Service oversees 13 facilities with an official capacity of 4,269, and a total population of 3,992, including pretrial detainees. Among all prisoners, 4.6% are female, 16.7% are pretrial detainees, and 1.0% are under the age of 18. In 2018, the Irish Prison Service had an annual budget of €327.37 million and it had a staff of 3,186