Prison overcrowding could lead to violence, Department of Justice warned

Department of Justice said coping with the rise in numbers would be extremely challenging and was likely to lead to '“increased tensions' that would inevitably lead to a risk of physical assaults and increased dangers for both staff and prisoners.

The Department of Justice warned prison overcrowding would spill over into violence in a plea for additional funding from the Department of Public Expenditure.

A submission said the Irish Prison Service was currently experiencing “record high risk overcrowding” as prisoner numbers shot up following the covid-19 pandemic.