Prisoner total below 4,000 for first time in four years

Prisoner numbers have dropped below 4,000 for the first time in four years, new figures show. There were 3,983 people in custody yesterday and 645 on temporary release (TR).

It is the lowest number in prison since the end of 2009 and marks a 14% drop from a peak of 4,621 in March 2011.

The custody numbers have fallen in recent years, following rapid growth in the mid- to late 2000s.

Prison Service figures show there were:

*4,411 people in custody on Nov 8, 2010 (638 on TR);

*4,240 in custody on Sep 10, 2011 (777 on TR);

*4,210 in custody on Sept 10, 2012 (676 on TR).

Penal reformers welcomed the drop but pointed out the overall decrease includes “stubbornly high” numbers in the two female prisons, with 133 in the Dóchas Centre (capacity for 105) and 25 in Limerick Female Prison (capacity for 28).

The latest figures show a relatively low number on temporary release. The TR figure was as high as 911 in Aug 2011.

It is not clear why custody numbers have dropped. More extensive use of the community service orders could be a factor, following legal changes which oblige judges to consider imposing them in situations where they are contemplating a custodial sentence.

“After a decade of prison numbers spiralling completely out of control, we are finally seeing the prison population return to more manageable levels,” said Liam Herrick of the Irish Penal Reform Trust.

“Although it still has some way to go, the lessening of what had become chronic and dangerous overcrowding in Irish prisons now gives the Prison Service the opportunity to meet its obligations in terms of providing safe and humane custody and effective rehabilitation.”