Podcasts

The Last Word with Matt Cooper

On Ireland's most cutting edge current affairs show, Matt and his guests provide a running stream of intelligent opinions and heated debates on the issues that matter most to Irish listeners. You might not always agree, but you'll never want to miss a Word.

Latest episodes

European Countries Insist They Must Be Involved In Ukraine Peace Talks

17 hours ago - 17 mins

The Last Word with Matt Cooper

Government Makes LNG Facility A Priority, Despite Warnings From Scientists

18 hours ago - 14 mins

The Last Word with Matt Cooper

The Latest In Home Fitness Tech

18 hours ago - 6 mins

The Last Word with Matt Cooper

Culture Club: Gary Kemp

2 days ago - 32 mins

The Last Word with Matt Cooper

Should The Taoiseach Visit President Trump In The White House If He’s Invited?

2 days ago - 25 mins

The Last Word with Matt Cooper

“Cost Of Loving” Crisis Increases Prices For Valentines Day Spending

2 days ago - 9 mins

The Last Word with Matt Cooper

Behind Bars - Restorative Justice And Alternatives To Prison

In the final part of our series on Irish prisons, we looked at the issue of restorative justice and alternatives to prison. How many prisoners could be safely dealt with by non-custodial means, such as community service, thereby reserving prison for the most serious offenders? Should prison be considered a last resort? Are shorter sentences costing the state too much? And can every offender be rehabilitated? These were some of the questions put to Fíona Ní Chinnéide, executive director of the Irish Penal Reform Trust, Ian Marder, lecturer in criminology at Maynooth University, and Mark Kennedy, Head of Recovery Services at the Merchant's Quay Project. Listen to the interview in full by pressing the play button on this page.