Overcrowding forces early release of 45 prisoners

CHRONIC overcrowding has forced the early release of 45 prisoners from Cork Prison in recent days in a stark illustration of the “revolving door” situation, it was claimed yesterday.

The inmates, who were due for early release within a few months, were let out earlier than expected to make room for other prisoners, a solicitor said. Colm Burke, who is also a Fine Gael city councillor, said the releases highlighted Cork Prison’s “revolving door”.

“As soon as prisoners are escorted to the prison by the gardaí, the prison authorities are required to release an equivalent number of prisoners, anything up to three to four months before they were entitled to be released, to make way for the new prisoners,” he said.

The prison has a design capacity for 150 inmates. But with an “operational capacity” of 271 inmates, it is one of the most overcrowded prisons in Ireland.

Mr Burke said prison sources confirmed to him that there were 265 people incarcerated in the 1800s-built Rathmore Road facility on Friday night.

“If gardaí arrested 10 people over the weekend, it would have meant additional people would have been left out on early release.

“It is therefore outrageous for the Justice Minister to be criticising members of the judiciary for not imposing the mandatory sentences when the present system cannot accommodate the numbers who have received sentences which the judges felt were appropriate.”

The Prison Service was unavailable for comment yesterday and officials at Cork Prison declined to comment.

Prison authorities have had to release prisoners early several times this year.

On one day last July, there were 277 inmates in the prison after 12 were committed to it from the courts.

Nine prisoners were given temporary release to free up space for the new inmates.

It is understood the arrest of seven Chinese nationals at Cork Airport this month for arriving without valid passports also caused severe headaches for prison authorities, who had to find space in the prison for them.

With many cases to be heard at Cork courts between now and Christmas, Mr Burke said the prison system will not be able to absorb the additional number who will receive sentencing from the courts.