The country’s most overcrowded prisons have seen a dramatic turnaround in capacity after 200 inmates were released early as part of emergency measures to ease overcrowding and prevent a Covid-19 outbreak.

Three prison officers have lost their separate High Court challenges related to internal transfers and bullying allegations within the Irish Prison Service.

A number of prisoners were involved in a hostage situation at the Midlands Prison in Portlaoise this week.

There are six categories of complaints under the Irish Prison Service's complaints system.

A Prison Service whistleblower was the subject of disciplinary proceedings, but when this was made public the charges were dropped, writes Michael Clifford.

Convicted paedophile Tom Humphries has been released from prison, 22 and a half months into his two and a half year sentence.

Prison officers who were charged with stopping the flow of drugs into prisons engaged in covert surveillance which may have involved illegal activity, a damning report has found.

Some of what emerged in a damning report on surveillance in our prisons wouldn’t be out of place in a TV crime drama, writes Special Correspondent Michael Clifford

Gardaí have confirmed they are investigating claims of unauthorised covert surveillance at the Midlands Prison.

A 75-year-old man has had his conviction for raping his granddaughter quashed after reports were obtained to determine whether he was fit to stand trial at the Central Criminal Court more than a year ago.

A judge has said he will have little option but to release a man likely to be found not guilty by reason of insanity unless state services can provide the acute in-patient mental health care he needs.

The solicitor for Tansanqa Radise told a judge that his client could not get a bed at the HSE's Carraig Mór centre in Cork because he had an address in Dublin.

A new recording system has revealed that far greater numbers of prison officers are injured by inmates than was previously reflected in official statistics.

The Irish Prison Service (IPS) has confirmed that there have been 55 sex offenders jailed for the first five months of this year.

New figures from the Irish Prison Service (IPS) have revealed the most dangerous prison in the country for prisoners - and prison staff.

Overcrowding in prisons is leading to intimidation and violence, according to the Prison Officers Association.

A 79-year-old man the FBI believes has been producing and selling child pornography “for at least 30 years” has lost a legal challenge to his pending extradition.

A 47-year-old man with 20 previous criminal convictions who sued after he claimed he was knocked off his bicycle by a car which failed to stop has been awarded €20,000 by the High Court.

The Irish Prison Service has sought to ease fears of a backlog of sex offenders waiting to enter its tailored treatment programme.

The Irish Prison Service has sought to ease fears of a backlog of sex offenders waiting to enter its tailored treatment programme following criticism from a visiting committee at one of the country's main jails.

Two deaths of inmates have occurred in the last 10 days in the Midlands Prison in Portlaoise.

The Public Accounts Committee will today hear from another public servant who feels victimised after making a complaint, writes Michael Clifford.

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

Multi-billion euro fraudster David Drumm is working as a cleaner in the basement of Mountjoy Prison, the Irish Examiner understands.

A man serving a 20-year sentence arising from the shooting of publican Charlie Chawke has failed to get a High Court inquiry into his detention on grounds he is illegally detained in an "alien" county, Co Laois, where the people are "GAA supporters to a child".

Graham Dwyer wants the High Court to strike down provisions of the law that allowed data from mobile phones be used by prosecutors as evidence during his trial for the murder of Elaine O'Hara.

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.

Inmates have been given €498,708 in interest-free loans by the Irish Prison Service in the past three years.

Nearly 900 pints of homemade alcohol was confiscated from prisoners in Irish jails last year, new figures have revealed.

Six prison officers were taken to hospital after they intervened in a huge fight involving up to 20 inmates at the Midlands Prison.

A special prison unit is being set up to house the country’s most violent prisoners.

Detectives investigating the shooting of dissident republican Peter Butterly have denied that offers to drop a murder charge were made to an accused man who turned prosecution witness before he gave a statement about the case.

Defence lawyers at a dissident republican's murder trial are challenging the evidence of an accused man who turned prosecution witness.

More than 100 sex offenders living in communities across the country are subject to monitoring as part of post-release supervision orders.

Joe O'Reilly has been granted legal aid to pursue an appeal to the Supreme Court one year after his miscarriage of justice bid was dismissed as an “abuse of process”.

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

Good afternoon. Here’s all the news you need to know this lunchtime.

Prison Service boss Michael Donnellan has rejected criticisms from prison officers that violent inmates were being rewarded by special gardens and luxuries like fish tanks.

An inmate who made a suicide attempt, which was deemed “not serious” by prison staff, was found dead just over an hour later after he took his own life.

A Corkman caught with €32,000 worth of heroin who claimed he had only gone to Limerick to get papers for his pet chihuahua was sentenced to 10 years in prison yesterday.