Prisoners given €498k in interest-free loans since 2014

Inmates have been given €498,708 in interest-free loans by the Irish Prison Service in the past three years.

The loans were for a variety of purposes, including the purchase of games consoles and stereos, and for the cost of communions and confirmations.

One female prisoner at the Dóchas Centre, Dublin, used a €300 loan to buy a dog, last year, while an inmate at Limerick Prison borrowed €290 to pay back money owed to the tuck shop.