Prison

A COMPREHENSIVE SERIES OF ARTICLES ON THIS TOPIC

Man in prison hands of behind hold Steel cage jail bars. offender criminal locked in jail.
'Inhuman and degrading': Prison inspector says inmates forced to sleep on floor due to overcrowding
Mark Kelly will tell Oireachtas Justice Committee on Tuesday that — as of January 7 — the prison population had increased to 5,761 from 5,001 at the end of 2024, for a capacity of just 4,718, 'meaning that 613 people living in prison were being obliged to sleep on mattresses on the floor'

Mon, 12 Jan, 2026

Prisoner numbers on course to reach 'unimaginable' level
Prisoner numbers on course to reach 'unimaginable' level
The Inspector of Prisons said last November that there was 'no doubt' overcrowding pressures contributed to a record 31 prison deaths in 2024

Mon, 05 Jan, 2026

Man in prison hands of behind hold Steel cage jail bars. offender criminal locked in jail.
€1.58m electronic tagging scheme to track prisoners on release and offenders on bail
Justice Department pilot will trial electronic tagging for prisoners on temporary release, sex offenders, and offenders on bail

Thu, 04 Dec, 2025

prisoner's hands behind bars with black background
Mick Clifford: Conditions in Irish jails an unwarranted extra penalty on prisoners
People in prison have been sentenced to lose their liberty: Living in appalling conditions is an unjustified extra punishment

Mon, 24 Nov, 2025

Friendship and ties between fences
Partners of prisoners should get similar social welfare assistance as other lone parents, says report
The report is also recommending that kinship carers with responsibility for a child or children with a parent in prison should be able to access a guardianship payment or alternative payment without having to declare parental abandonment or end parental contact

Wed, 19 Nov, 2025

Manhunt underway after violent prisoner escapes during Limerick hospital escort
Manhunt underway after violent prisoner escapes during Limerick hospital escort
The prisoner was in prison for violent disorder, assault and criminal damage

Thu, 13 Nov, 2025

Outrage as violent offenders among hundreds granted temporary prison release
Outrage as violent offenders among hundreds granted temporary prison release
Victims’ advocates and MEP Cynthia Ní Mhurchú condemn temporary release policy after FOI reveals dozens of violent offenders freed

Tue, 11 Nov, 2025

Cahirmee horse fair
Cork Prison inmate admits biting ear off remand prisoner in unprovoked attack
Judge Boyle was told that once the accused was put on anti-psychotic medication and it was administered there were no further problems

Fri, 07 Nov, 2025

'No doubt' that overcrowding is a factor in 55% rise of prison deaths, inspector says
'No doubt' that overcrowding is a factor in 55% rise of prison deaths, inspector says
As of this Wednesday, prison numbers stand at 5,628, while the maximum possible capacity of the system is 4,702

Fri, 07 Nov, 2025

Irish Prison Service to spend over €440,000 to research mental health needs of inmates
Irish Prison Service to spend over €440,000 to research mental health needs of inmates
Research to inform clinical practice in prisons and support of prisoners going back into the community

Mon, 13 Oct, 2025

Official Opening of the Central Mental Hospital, Portrane
Budget 2026: Minister seeks funds for psychiatric ICU in Central Mental Hospital
Opening could 'significantly reduce' the lengthy waiting times for severely ill prisoners

Sun, 05 Oct, 2025

Cocker spaniel Bailey released from Derry prison after public outcry
Cocker spaniel Bailey released from Derry prison after public outcry
Bailey had been placed in the medium-security prison in Derry as a support dog for prisoners, but reports in August about his condition prompted animal rights protests

Mon, 22 Sep, 2025

Prison service considering use of body scanners to detect drugs following death of inmate 
Prison service considering use of body scanners to detect drugs following death of inmate 
Investigation concerns the death of a 32-year-old male prisoner, who died in Limerick Prison on November 15, 2020, during the covid lockdown

Tue, 16 Sep, 2025

Prison service currently operating 'far beyond its limits', director general warns 
Prison service currently operating 'far beyond its limits', director general warns 
The Irish Prison Service warns inmate numbers are at record highs, with hundreds forced to sleep on cell floors

Thu, 04 Sep, 2025

Mountjoy Prison, Phibsborough, Dublin, Ireland.
WRC orders Prison Service to take back officer who went absent without leave to fight in Ukraine
Brian Meagher was fired after a senior Irish Prison Service official saw him giving an interview on RTÉ’s 'Prime Time' from a hospital bed in September 2022 after he was wounded in action

Wed, 27 Aug, 2025

Woman not released from prison on bail because she has no home to go to, court hears
Woman not released from prison on bail because she has no home to go to, court hears
Had she an address, she could be given temporary release from prison

Tue, 26 Aug, 2025

Coronavirus - Tue Jan 26, 2021
'Unconscionable' sleeping conditions in overcrowded prisons 'blighting lives'
There are 486 inmates sleeping on mattresses on cell floors in country's prisons

Tue, 19 Aug, 2025

Coronavirus - Tue Jan 26, 2021
Solicitor 'mystified' over absence of prisoner's autopsy report from DPP file, inquest told
The inquest also heard the DPP file had been resubmitted about two weeks ago after it emerged that the original file had been mislaid

Wed, 13 Aug, 2025

Revealed: The luxury grocery orders of the high-security inmates in Portlaoise
Revealed: The luxury grocery orders of the high-security inmates in Portlaoise
Exclusive records reveal Portlaoise’s subversive prisoners ordering everything from gourmet steaks to chocolate treats — all paid from personal funds

Tue, 12 Aug, 2025

Government playing catch-up in bid to ease prison overcrowding
Government playing catch-up in bid to ease prison overcrowding
Ireland’s prisons are at 120% capacity, prompting a €495m plan for 1,500 new spaces and a revived Thornton Hall project

Mon, 11 Aug, 2025

Prisoner died day before his scheduled transfer to psychiatric unit, report says
Prisoner died day before his scheduled transfer to psychiatric unit, report says
A psychiatrist told the investigation team that 'accessing treatment in a community-based psychiatric facility is extremely challenging'

Tue, 05 Aug, 2025

Peep Hole in the door to a Prison Cell
Nearly 400 inmates at large in the last decade never returned to prison
Some 4,178 inmates were recorded as unlawfully at large between 2015 and 2024, of which 3,815 were returned to custody

Tue, 05 Aug, 2025

Crime by offenders on bail rises 20% as prison overcrowding hits crisis levels
Crime by offenders on bail rises 20% as prison overcrowding hits crisis levels
Crime committed on bail has jumped 20% since 2022 — but overcrowded prisons are releasing offenders back onto streets

Sat, 02 Aug, 2025

Man jailed for spitting on garda walks free due to Cork Prison overcrowding
Man jailed for spitting on garda walks free due to Cork Prison overcrowding
Despite being sentenced for assaulting a garda, a man was turned away from Cork Prison due to overcrowding crisis

Thu, 31 Jul, 2025

Department mistakenly paid over €600k in welfare to prisoners in last two years
Department mistakenly paid over €600k in welfare to prisoners in last two years
Most payments were stopped quickly and might only continue to be made for a very short period of time

Tue, 29 Jul, 2025

Inspector of prisons backs findings of jail report by European watchdog
Inspector of prisons backs findings of jail report by European watchdog
Government urged to to increase alternatives to custody and bail projects

Fri, 25 Jul, 2025

Man in prison hands of behind hold Steel cage jail bars. offender criminal locked in jail.
Prisons turned into 'human warehouses' by chronic overcrowding — Council of Europe inspectors
Overcrowding, violence — and a mentally-ill female prisoner who 'had not had access to a shower for four days' — among issues raised by the Council of Europe Committee on the Prevention of Torture 

Thu, 24 Jul, 2025

National Development Plan allocates almost €4bn for defence and justice capital spends
National Development Plan allocates almost €4bn for defence and justice capital spends
The Government has committed to implement the second of three levels of investment (LOA2), centred on increasing the annual defence budget from €1.1bn in 2022 to €1.5bn in 2028

Tue, 22 Jul, 2025

Prisoner XL
Prison service pleaded with Government to delay court cases to address chronic overcrowding
Irish Prison Service said a new policy on bail was needed urgently to ensure people awaiting trial for 'non-serious offences' were not sent to jail

Tue, 22 Jul, 2025

Man in prison hands of behind hold Steel cage jail bars. offender criminal locked in jail.
Irish prisons entering  'unthinkable territory' as overcrowding hits 'crisis' level 
Warning from Prison Officers Association comes as Ireland now has 860 more inmates than its prisons can hold

Mon, 21 Jul, 2025

Number of sex offenders in Irish jails up 16% amid ‘epidemic of violence against women’
Number of sex offenders in Irish jails up 16% amid ‘epidemic of violence against women’
MEP calls for suite of reforms including a review of sentencing for such crimes, and advanced training for circuit and district court judges

Mon, 14 Jul, 2025

Prison systems 'likely to reach breaking point' as overcrowding gets worse
Prison systems 'likely to reach breaking point' as overcrowding gets worse
Even if the commitment in the 2025 Programme for Government is fully met, the recommended capacity of Irish prisons would be less than current inmate numbers

Mon, 07 Jul, 2025

Inside Alcatraz Prison - Row of Bars and Cells
Cork crime: Addiction, poverty, and trauma driving women into prison
More women are being jailed for theft, addiction, and trauma-linked crimes, while overcrowded jails hinder real rehabilitation, writes Ann Murphy

Mon, 30 Jun, 2025

Cahirmee horse fair
Striking disparity in jail sentences between Cork City’s northside and southside
New Irish Examiner analysis reveals significant sentencing disparities between Cork’s northside and southside, raising questions over justice and inequality

Tue, 24 Jun, 2025

Inside Alcatraz Prison - Row of Bars and Cells
Cork crime: Men jailed for twice as long as women, court data over five years reveals
New analysis of Cork court data reveals stark differences in jail terms by gender, offence type, and addiction impact

Tue, 24 Jun, 2025

Former Cork prison could become new 300-bed facility under plan to tackle overcrowding
Former Cork prison could become new 300-bed facility under plan to tackle overcrowding
Micheál Martin says the former Cork prison site may be the only viable option to address urgent overcrowding

Sun, 08 Jun, 2025

Official Opening of the Central Mental Hospital, Portrane
'Serious concerns' after 17 areas of non-compliance found at Central Mental Hospital
The Inspector of Mental Health Services, Professor James Lucey, said 10 of 17 areas of non-compliance were reoccurring

Wed, 04 Jun, 2025

Justice minister to accelerate building of nearly 1,000 prison spaces across the country
Justice minister to accelerate building of nearly 1,000 prison spaces across the country
Jim O'Callaghan will inform government that the prison estate as a whole is currently operating at 115% over capacity

Wed, 04 Jun, 2025

New Orleans Inmates Escape
Three more of 10 escapees from New Orleans jail captured, leaving two on run
Three more of the 10 inmates who escaped from a New Orleans jail earlier this month have been re-arrested in two different states after more than a week on the run, authorities have said.

Tue, 27 May, 2025

Man in prison hands of behind hold Steel cage jail bars. offender criminal locked in jail.
‘Ireland an outlier’ for serving life sentences on children, expert says 
Nessa Lynch said  Ireland’s law in the area is unclear and it should be resolved through legislation

Mon, 19 May, 2025

New-Orleans-Inmates-Escape
Ten escape from New Orleans jail through hole in cell wall
Seven of the escapees, including suspects charged with murder, remain on the lam following the breakout that the local sheriff says may have been aided by members within the department.

Sat, 17 May, 2025

Inmate who died violently in prison had to be identified by his fingerprints, inquest hears
Inmate who died violently in prison had to be identified by his fingerprints, inquest hears
It is understood three prisoners were in the two-man cell at the time of the fatal incident. One of the other occupants of the cell also sustained injuries during the incident and required treatment

Thu, 08 May, 2025

Prison officers share fears drones will smuggle guns into jails
Prison officers share fears drones will smuggle guns into jails
Deputy general secretary Gabriel Keaveny said the average value of consignments in a drone drop is between €50,000-€60,000 inside prisons

Thu, 01 May, 2025

Cabinet must release funding to tackle prison overcrowding within '12 to 18 months', minister warns
Cabinet must release funding to tackle prison overcrowding within '12 to 18 months', minister warns
Prison Officers' Association  president Tony Power told the annual conference in Galway that the 'revolving door' is back in prisons

Thu, 01 May, 2025

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