Rampant phone trade in youth jail

The country’s prison for juveniles is in the spotlight again after figures reveal a rampant trade in mobile phones in the jail.

St Patrick’s Institution, which caters for 17 to 21-year-olds, tops the table for seizures of mobile phones so far this year — even outstripping Mountjoy Prison.

Official figures show seizures in St Pat’s have risen sharply in recent years — while seizures in all other jails have fallen, in many cases dramatically.