Rate of Irish inmates abroad doubles in 3 years

The number of Irish people serving prison sentences overseas has more than doubled in the past three years, to 1,054 known cases and they often endure extreme hardship.

While the majority of these are in British prisons, 20 Irish people are in jails across Europe, four in Australia, and 41 in North America.

There are seven Irish people serving sentences in South and Central American prisons — mostly for drug-related offences.

While exact details of their cases are not available, there are three Irish citizens in prison in Africa and three in Asia.

The figures, from the Irish Council for Prisoners Overseas (ICPO), show a sharp rise in Irish people being locked up abroad, from 444 in 2010, 707 in 2011, 632 last year to 1,054 this year.

The organisation, which provides assistance to Irish prisoners abroad, said many face significant difficulties, including discrimination, language barriers, and an unfamiliar legal system.

“In some countries prison conditions are a major cause of concern and prisoners experience extreme hardship, with limited access to food, water, and medical treatment. Prison overcrowding is a serious problem in some countries,” said the ICPO.

Many prisoners abroad experience “extreme isolation” and are helped by correspondence from letter-writing volunteers.

ICPO operates a popular pen friend scheme which involves more than 80 letter-writing volunteers based in Ireland who correspond on a regular basis with ICPO clients abroad.

The prisoners also receive Christmas and St Patrick’s Day mail from the organisation.

“For some prisoners this may be the only communication that they have with the outside world.

“The ICPO feedback is that clients greatly appreciate this communications link with home,” the organisation said in a statement.

There has been a rise in the number of young people the group encounters from Australia.

“This seems to correlate with the recent increase of Irish people living, travelling and working in this country,” it said.

The council was set up in 1895 by the Irish Catholic bishops but it says it makes no distinction in terms of religious faith, the nature of the prison conviction, or of a prisoner’s status.