45 inmates sleep on mattresses every night

There are fresh concerns about overcrowding in Irish prisons, with 45 inmates on average having slept on mattresses every night so far this year.

There are fresh concerns about overcrowding in Irish prisons, with 45 inmates on average having slept on mattresses on the floor of cells every night so far this year. The problem is confined to six jails that take remand inmates, with the issue most pressing in Limerick female and Limerick male prisons.

Prison authorities have repeatedly highlighted a sharp rise in non-fine-related committals to prisons in the last 18 months and the strain it is putting on the system. The average daily prison population rose from 3,738, in November 2017, to 3,962 last November, and stood at 4,025 on July 5.