Prisoner escapes twice as likely in Ireland than rest of Europe

Prisoners are twice as likely to escape from jails in Ireland than the rest of Europe, inspectors have revealed.

While only six inmates went on the run in 2013, the most up to date figures showed 472 offenders were at large after not returning to prison after temporary release, a hospital visit or by walking out of an open unit.

A study of the 47 Council of Europe countries found there are 14.8 prison escapes for every 10,000 inmates in Ireland.