Worsening prison overcrowding poses 'very high-risk' situation for staff and inmates

There are now 430 prisoners sleeping on mattresses on the floors of cells, almost treble the number this time last year — including 53 in Cork Prison. File Picture: Cillian Kelly

A sharp escalation in prison overcrowding is creating a “breeding ground for violence” and poses a “very high-risk situation” for prison staff and inmates, the Inspector of Prisons has said.

The warning comes after the latest figures show a dramatic worsening of the crisis, with prisoner numbers now hitting almost 5,400 — 750 more people than there are spaces.

The numbers have shot up since February, with almost 300 extra prisoners in just two months.

Prison sources have told the Irish Examiner they are worried that, if this trend continues in the next court term, after Easter, that the custody figure could approach 6,000.

It was only last June when prisoner numbers exceeded the landmark of 5,000 — seen then as a major crisis.

There are now 430 prisoners sleeping on mattresses on the floors of cells, almost treble the number this time last year — including 101 in Mountjoy Prison, 71 in Limerick Male Prison, and 53 in Cork Prison.

The prison overcrowding crisis in numbers.

It is understood that contingency plans have been drawn up in prisons for scenarios where control is lost in a jail or part of one.

There are concerns that prisons are having to undermine the integrity of the criminal justice system by releasing growing numbers of relatively minor criminals, who are sent to prison for short sentences, within 24 hours of entering jail.

Non-violent offenders

Prisoners jailed for repeat offences of stealing from shops and retail stores — along with those committed for non-violent crimes and non-sex offences — are being “turned around” soon after committal, according to prison sources.

Responding to the worsening overcrowding, the chief inspector of prisons, Mark Kelly, said: “In March 2023, the prison population had already exceeded 4,900 people, a figure that I then characterised as ‘many hundred in excess of the number that can be safely accommodated’.

Today, the population is nearly 5,400 — with the result that very many prisoners are being held in conditions that can be described as inhuman and degrading

"This creates a breeding ground for violence and creates a very high-risk situation for prison staff and those in their custody.” 

An analysis of Irish Prison Service (IPS) figures shows:

• The number of prisoners in custody on April 10 was 5,393 — compared to 4,847 on the same date in 2024, and 4,583 on April 10, 2023;
• This means there are 1,048 more prisoners in just two years — an increase of 18%;
• In the same time period, only 232 extra prison spaces were created (+5%);
• The number of prisoners given temporary release has jumped from 348 on April 10, 2023, to 601 last Thursday — a rise of 130%;
• Irish prisons are now 117% over capacity, compared to 108% and 103% respectively in the previous two years.

Overcrowding is highest in Limerick Female Prison (155%), Limerick Male Prison(141%), Mountjoy Female Prison/Dóchas (131%), Mountjoy Male Prison (124%), Portlaoise Prison (123%) and Cork Prison (116%).

'On edge'

“Things are on edge, just waiting for something to happen,” one prison source said.

 “I don’t think the death of a prisoner in some row linked to overcrowding will change things. It will take more than that for the Government to do something, some bigger tragedy.” 

Mr Kelly has urged the Government to impose an “enforceable ceiling” on prisoner numbers.

“It is no longer credible to respond to these concerns with rote answers referencing future increases in the capacity of the prison estate," he said. "No comparable jurisdiction has ever succeeded in building itself out of overcrowding.” 

The Irish Prison Service said it was legally obliged to accept all court committals.

In a statement, the Department of Justice said: “The Government is acutely aware of capacity restraints in our prisons and has committed to increasing capacity of our prisons by 1,500 under the programme for government. This work has already commenced.”