44 inmates locked up for 23 hours a day

Startling figures show that 44 young offenders in St Patrick’s Institution — a fifth of its inmates — are locked up in their cells 23 hours a day.

This marks an alarming jump, with previous figures showing that no one was held on 23-hour lock up in July 2012 and only two were in Nov 2011.

The figure includes two 17-year-olds who, according to international laws and domestic policy, should not even in be a prison with adult young offenders.