‘Shameful waste’ as 7,400 jailed for unpaid fines

The number of people being sent to jail for non-payment of fines has surged to more than 7,400 — an increase of 60% in just three years.

Prison reform campaigners and opposition TDs have branded the situation a “shameful waste” of money, costing taxpayers €2m a year.

Despite pledges from the Government that a new computer system allowing a spaced repayments system would help drastically cut the number of those jailed, the figures have soared from 4,350 in 2009 to 7,467 last year. The huge rise comes despite the introduction of laws ensuring imprisonment is used as a last resort.