Call for investment in prison alternatives amid overcrowding crisis 

IPRT executive director Saoirse Brady warned that in the absence of adequate quality mental health and addiction treatment services in the community, prison has become the default option for people who experience these challenges. 

The Government has been warned that a failure to invest in alternatives to prison means the money needed to increase prison spaces will be a drain on the State for years to come.

The warning comes from the Irish Penal Reform Trust, as accommodation pressure continues across the prison estate.