The Irish Penal Reform Trust (IPRT) has called on the Minister for Justice, Mr McDowell, to state his intentions with regard to private prisons.
Its executive director, Mr Rick Lines, along with a UK expert on private prisons, Mr Stephen Nathan, met officials from the Department of Justice yesterday to discuss their concerns.
"The international evidence of prison privatisation shows that overall these schemes have failed to deliver on the promise of more cost-effective and efficient prisons," said Mr Nathan.
Speaking to journalists before meeting Department officials, he said there was no evidence that private prisons reduced recidivism, and in many cases they experienced more problems than public prisons. They have been characterised by staff shortages and inadequate programmes for prisoners.
He said there was an incentive to save money on food in private prisons.
"Food is fundamental to prisoners. Depending on how good or bad it is, it can affect whether there is a riot of not."
The privatisation of prisons had spread from the US to other countries, and in Europe was most advanced in the UK. There private prison contractors had clauses in their contracts which allowed banks to direct how they operated. This took criminal justice policy out of the political arena.
"The American way is increasingly being exported around the world," he warned.
"Increasingly, as the American system spreads, spending on incarceration increases and spending on education decreases."
Mr Lines said the IPRT was holding these briefings at this time in the light of remarks made by the director of the Prison Service, Mr Sean Aylward, indicating support for privately run prisons.
He pointed to an open letter expressing concern about this sent to Mr McDowell by 16 leading figures in law and criminology a few weeks ago, and called again for a clear statement from the Minister on the issue.