One in five jailed from outside Ireland

PEOPLE from outside Ireland now account for one in five of all those sent to prison, new figures show.

There has also been a sharp rise in the number of women prisoners, people on remand and inmates serving life sentences.

Speaking at the Prison Officers' Association (POA) annual conference, the Director General of the Prison Service Sean Aylward said these factors had led to overcrowding and was forcing him to grant more temporary releases.