Prison service pleaded with Government to delay court cases to address chronic overcrowding

The number of prisoners in custody has smashed the 5,000 barrier, and on Monday of this week reached more than 5,500.

The Irish Prison Service (IPS) pleaded with the Department of Justice to stop scheduling extra court sittings and to consider using cells in Garda stations for prisoners.

A message from IPS director of operations said they had done everything in their power to deal with overcrowding in jails, as numbers in custody approached 5,000.