A Cork gambler who was active in Gamblers Anonymous stole €6,900 from his employer and drove from Cork Airport to Dublin for a gambling spree where he blew all the money has been jailed for two years.

There has been a 50% increase in the number of injuries suffered by prison officers dealing with non-compliant prisoners.

Seven drones have been recovered from Irish prisons in the last two years.

Last week’s visits by British prime minister Boris Johnson to the Chancellery in Berlin and, later, to the Élysée Palace in Paris were characterised by the rabidly pro-Brexit press as a veni-vidi-vici moment for their champion.

The Irish Prison Service is investigating separate claims two senior staff members have been involved in fraudulently misappropriating State assets.

Hard-hitting report comes after vulnerable prisoner died in cell

The ‘Irish Examiner’ last year published claims about covert surveillance in prisons. A report was made — but will it be published and followed up on, asks Michael Clifford.

Regular overcrowding at the new Cork prison has been blamed on the ongoing construction work at Limerick prison.

Prison and Garda authorities are investigating a security incident at the weekend when a replica firearm was discovered in the grounds of a Dublin jail.

Prison bosses are considering arming with batons and body cameras officers in a new facility for the most dangerous prisoners.

Garda operations against feuding gangs and roaming burglary groups are believed to be driving a surge in the number of people being held on remand in prison.

One-in-three inmates at Mountjoy voluntarily locked up in cells for 21 hours a day over gang fears.

The Irish Prison Service is being urged to abolish the practice of solitary confinement.

The Prison Service has admitted it needs to do more to tackle the flow of contraband into jails after another rise in the seizures of phones, drugs and weapons.

An investigation has been launched following allegations that a serious case of sexual harassment within the Prison Service was covered up.

An official complaint has been made to the Health & Safety Authority (HSA) about the dire conditions soldiers guarding Portlaoise Prison have to endure.

An investigation is underway into allegations of “improper conduct” at Limerick Prison, the Irish Prison Service has confirmed, after a whistleblower’s dossier was sent to Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald

The case of Gerard Butler, who helped contain an incident that was never recorded, is the second in weeks on whistleblower treatment in the Prison Service, writes Michael Clifford

The overall amount of contraband seized in Irish prisons last year dropped slightly — and there has been a significant decline in the amount of weapons found in jails.

The Prison Service in the UK is to launch an investigation after a riot at Bedford Prison which reportedly saw up to 200 inmates go on the rampage.

The Irish Prison Service (IPS) is shelling out almost €550,000 on over 29,000 white Y-fronts, dressing gowns, polo shirts and other items of clothing for inmates.

Almost one-third of prisoners who are locked up 23 hours a day are aged 18-24, campaigners have revealed.

Prisoner officers have called for better protective equipment like batons and pepper spray after a violent assault in Midlands prison.

Four prison officers have been injured after an incident at Maghaberry Prison in Co Antrim yesterday.

The State has spent more than €50m to date on the doomed super prison project at Thornton Hall — and the north Dublin site is currently valued at just €2m.

A group that works with marginalised young men has said that the Portuguese model of not criminalising people for possessing drugs would have a “positive impact”, especially for those trying to overcome their addiction.

The Irish Prison Service will release its annual report today, two days after a prisoner lost his life in a row in Cork Jail.

A manhunt is continuing this morning following the escape of a prisoner from Cloverhill in Dublin.

A judge has refused a Dublin prisoner, who is co-accused with his sister of murdering a 63-year-old man, leave to challenge a decision of the prison authorities not to facilitate his attendance at his mother’s funeral today.

Gardaí and the Prison Service are in talks with the Courts Service over security concerns about a proposal to assign all Criminal Court sittings in Cork City to the Washington St courthouse.

A 25-year-old prisoner has been found dead in his cell at Limerick Prison.

The Irish Prison Service has confirmed that three babies were born in Irish prisons last year to mothers who had been jailed.

Frederick ‘Freddie’ Thompson has launched a High Court challenge against the Prison Service’s decision to transfer him from Cloverhill to Cork Prison.

Attempted murderers, kidnappers, and drug offenders are among the 32 prisoners who have escaped from jails here and are still on the run.

A specialist unit for gang members and other protected inmates at Mountjoy prison in Dublin, is no longer fit for purpose, according to a report from the Inspector of Prisons.

Ivor Callely is under round-the-clock observation in Mountjoy Prison’s acute mental health unit.

The Prison Service is having to spend more money on bottled water at Castlerea Prison because of problems with the local water supply.

Convicted criminals have been gifted more than €750,000 in ‘bus money’ on release from jail over the past five years.

Prison director general Michael Donnellan said he is “embarrassed” by the recording of phone calls between 139 prisoners currently in custody and their solicitors.

A fresh bugging probe has opened after the Taoiseach yesterday revealed phone calls between 84 prisoners and their solicitors were “inadvertently recorded”.

New figures show a reduction in the number of committals and people being sent to jail.

The 30-year-old rapist of two children joins 12 other sex offenders serving a life sentence in Irish prisons. While he will be able to start applying for parole after he serves seven years, the average term of life sentences is just over 17 years.

Residents on Cork’s northside are to meet next Tuesday week to decide whether or not to co-operate with the construction of a new prison.

A timeline of neglect and inaction

The Prison Service is investigating claims that an inmate made two attempts to take his own life in one of the country's biggest jails.