Cost of keeping offender in prison down slightly in 2004

The Irish Prison Service has reported a slight fall in the cost of keeping a person in jail due to stricter overtime budgets and the closure of prisons at the Curragh and Spike Island.

In its annual report for last year, the service said the average cost of keeping an offender in custody was just under €84,000-a-year, down around €4,000 on the figure for 2003.