Pill-popping prisoners cost €3m a year

Pill-popping prisoners are costing the State €3m a year — or almost €700 for every inmate in the system.

Inmates in the Dóchas Women’s Prison top the table, consuming almost €1,000 worth of prescribed drugs on average annually.

The prison drug budget is spent on benzodiazepines to treat anxiety and drugs to treat depression, psychosis, HIV, and drug addiction.