There was a major security incident in Portlaoise Prison last weekend when a prisoner in a high-security wing was not accounted for at evening lock-up and had to later approach prison officers and ask to be put into his cell.

The Irish Prison Service has been urged to keep its nursing committal forms under constant review after an inquest returned a verdict of suicide in the case of a man who took his own life less than four hours after being committed to Cork Prison.

There are fresh concerns about overcrowding in Irish prisons, with 45 inmates on average having slept on mattresses every night so far this year.

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

Half-a-million euro has been allocated by the Department of Rural and Community Development to 350 men’s sheds across the country.

More than two-thirds of investigations into the deaths of vulnerable prisoners since 2012 have raised concerns about “misleading” or inaccurate record-keeping by prison staff, and the care afforded to inmates who have suicidal ideation and mental health problems.

Sourcing his material from former prisoners, director Frank Berry wanted to get the experience of a first-time inmate on to the big screen, he tells Esther McCarthy

The girlfriend of the man jailed for shooting a girl in the neck believes he’s innocent and said she plans to stand by him.

The number of people being jailed for failing to pay court fines has fallen by around 1,000 following the introduction of laws aimed at effectively eliminating the sanction.

A man on trial accused of murdering a fellow Cork Prison inmate asked a witness not to go back to his cell because he was “fearful” the deceased “would do something to him”, a jury has heard.

A former inmate who was left overnight in an external prison exercise yard is suing the State for the injury and distress he says it caused.

The school in the new Cork Prison has been closed after a leak caused significant water damage.

Prison officers have told an inquest that they would have placed a prisoner, deemed by medical staff in another prison to be at “unprecedented” risk of suicide, in a padded cell had they known the level of risk.

The partner of a prisoner deemed to be at “unprecedented” risk of suicide said she was extremely concerned for his welfare during a prison visit just days before he was found dead in his cell.

The director general of the Irish Prison Service has said that the long-awaited introduction of an installment system to pay court fines will have a “huge impact” on the numbers being sent to jail.

“Cork Prison is the worst jail in the system. It’s inhumane.”

A prison watchdog has raised concerns at the ability of Oberstown children’s detention school to handle violent 17-year-old offenders.

The Government has been accused of creating a highly dangerous ‘revolving-door’ prison system after it was revealed that a convicted killer and dozens more violent offenders were among more than 500 prisoners on temporary release this week.

The Inspector of Prisons has been expressing concerns about bullying in Irish jails.

Thirteen fresh charges have been brought against a man accused of crashing a stolen car into a motorcycle garda and endangering his life.

The overcrowding crisis in women’s prisons continues to deepen, with 40% of female inmates being let out on temporary release due to a dire shortage of space.

Serious overcrowding, violence and cuts in resources have impacted on inmates in the prison system, according to the Visiting Committee.

The noise and disruption from building work on the new €35m Cork Prison forced a woman recovering from cancer to leave her home.

Children and families of prisoners are critical to the re-integration of their loved ones back into society, says Fiona Donson.

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.

Cork Prison is being hit by a “perfect storm” of high committal numbers, crumbling facilities, serious overcrowding, and poor mental health services.

Six out of 10 people sent to Cork Prison are jailed for non-payment of court fines, putting huge pressure on the system.

MICHAEL Donnellan runs his fingers across computer printouts and architectural drawings of the new Cork Prison.

A timeline of neglect and inaction

An Irish Muslim wanted in the US on terrorism charges is suing the State for allegedly breaching his constitutional rights to privacy, dignity, and the ability to practice his religion while held in Cork Prison.

Justice Minister Alan Shatter has said changes have been made to plans for a new Cork Prison to address some concerns raised by the city council and residents.

Expansion plans for Cork Prison which include double occupancy cells have been described as “regrettable and regressive” by the Irish Penal Reform Trust.